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One of the major diversions 5E takes from prior versions of *Dungeons & Dragons* is a scaling-back of magical items in favor of a more role-play-centric take on your time at the table. All the proof you need is in the *Dungeon Master's Guide*, with its list of magic items and artifacts which start on page 150. Probably the single largest change is the lack of any item boasting a modifier greater than +3 -- whether you're talking about armor, ammunition, or weaponry, the sort of god-tier equipment from previous versions that offered +4 and +5 bonuses to hit, damage, or armor class are gone. And what does remain is considerably rarity-boosted as well. +1 items, which were almost guaranteed to be found in fairly abundant supply in low-level adventures in 2nd and 3rd edition, are now considered "uncommon". To quote the *DMG*:

> The game assumes the secrets of creating the most powerful items arose centuries ago and were then gradually lost as a result of wars, cataclysms, and mishaps. Even uncommon items can't be easily created. Thus, many items are well-preserved antiquities.

What this means is that PCs can no longer rely exclusively on their gear to do the heavy lifting, and while powerful magical items do exist, they are the domain of higher-level play, and PCs will need to earn them, probably by forcibly separating them from their current owners instead of stumbling across them in random loot.

The *DMG* has nine random tables for determining what kind of treasure is found based on dice rolls and challenge ratings of individual creatures or whole encounters, labeled A through I. Treasure Type A consists almost entirely of common magical items, with a straight 50% chance that your magic treasure will be a *Potion of Healing*, and only a 1% chance to be something like a *Bag of Holding* (a portable extra-dimensional space where you can stuff things without them counting towards your encumbrance) or a *Driftglobe* (a small, portable light source that floats around and follows you, leaving your hands free to cast spells or beat on bad guys).

The opportunity to acquire magical ammunition shows up on Table B, where there's a 5% chance to acquire a single piece of +1 ammo (sling bullet, crossbow bolt, arrow, etc...). The potential for magical weapons, on the other hand, doesn't show up until Table F, where there's a 15% chance to acquire a single +1 weapon, and a 3% chance to find a +1 shield. When facing down an encounter of Challenge Rating 0 - 4, there's only a 12% chance according to that table of finding an item from Table F. By contrast, for Challenge Rating 5 - 10, there's a 20% chance you'll get to roll on a table that gives you access to magic weapons, shields, and armor. The folks at Wizards of the Coast *really* want your PCs to work for that powerful gear. Tables H and I, which is where the truly powerful artifacts are located, don't even come into play until you hit Challenge Ratings 11 - 16 on the scale, and even then there's a 15% chance a given horde will include no magical gear at all.

Welcome to *Dungeons & Dragons*; the word of the day is 'stingy'.
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Now, obviously, the tables in the *Dungeon Master's Guide* are simply guidelines. There's nothing that says you have to follow them, and you certainly don't have to randomize every single treasure drop like you're nothing more than a *Diablo 3* loot calculator. Part of being a good DM is knowing what your PCs will be up against and making sure they have adequate resources to overcome it. That doesn't mean you need to ply them with enough magical gear to turn your epic final encounter into a curb stomp battle they can't lose, but it does mean if a major encounter has a weakness to Cold damage, it's only fair to give your PCs access to something that lets them take advantage of that weakness and the ability to discern that weakness through investigation, divination, and common sense. "Don't throw *Fireballs* at the fire-breathing dragon!" should be obvious to anyone with more than two game sessions under their belts.

Of course, players love finding new magical items and they're an important part of the campaign...but you can't just hand out +3 Short Bows and suits of Armor of Invulnerability willy-nilly. See, while the *DMG* offers a diverse array of common and uncommon magic items, even these small things can have dramatic effects on the game. Every healing potion you hand out is one fewer spell slot your PCs have to devote to *Healing Word* or *Cure Wounds*, after all. What about those magical things apprentices might manufacture to practice their skill as enchanters? Where's all the stuff that can be fun and add personality, but isn't game-changing even if you drop a bunch of it into the hands of 1st and 2nd level characters? *Xanathar's Guide to Everything* to the rescue!

*XGtE* isn't a core rulebook, but for fleshing out a campaign, it's probably the top 'must buy' supplement yet released by Wizards of the Coast. In introduces a whole host of new spells (in fact, [I talked about all the new cantrips it added](https://steemit.com/gaming/@modernzorker/michael-s-rpg-shelf-i-gotta-have-my-cantrips-part-three-everybody-was-cantrip-fighting) earlier this year), but it *also* includes a section of Common Magic Items starting on page 136 that will automatically make you a better DM just by reading. As the book says:

> These items seldom increase a character's power, but they are likely to amuse players and provide fun role-playing opportunities.

That, right there, is worth its weight in gold, and so here, in no particular order, are my eleven favorite Common Magic Items from *XGtE*.

## 11) Wand of Smiles
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The *Wand of Smiles* has 3 charges, and is used by pointing it at someone within 30 feet of you. If they fail a DC 10 Charisma saving throw, they have to smile for the next minute. The wand regains all expended charges at dawn, and when you use the last charge, you roll a d20. If you roll a 1, the *Wand of Smiles* changes into a *Wand of Scowls*.

The *Wand of Scowls* does the same thing, except that instead of causing a target to smile, it causes it to scowl. And like its counterpart, you roll a d20 when you expend the final charge. On a 1, the *Wand of Scowls* becomes a *Wand of Smiles*. That's two common magic items for the price of one, both with amusing applications and the potential for starting mischief in a military formation, tavern, or other setting where neutral facial expressions are called for. ("What are *you* smiling at, Private?!")

## 10) Candle of the Deep
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This magical candle continues to burn even when immersed completely in water, and will give off normal amounts of light (5' of bright light, and a further 5' of dim light) and heat whether it's burnt in open air or underwater. If you have any reason to suspect your PCs will need to go swimming, cave diving, or other pursuits that will take them beneath the waves, one or two of these will go a long way in keeping them from getting lost. While a cantrip like *Light* or *Dancing Lights* can do much the same thing, keep in mind that *Dancing Lights* requires one's concentration and only lasts for a minute, while both cantrips have a Verbal component which will be impossible for most casters to use once they're completely submerged unless they have their own personal air bubble or something.

Also, a *Candle of the Deep* carried in a clear, sealed container filled with water is significantly more difficult to extinguish than an ordinary light source. Wind cannot get into a jar to blow it out, and even if it does somehow, the water should make it impossible to reach the flame itself, giving this item plenty of above-ground applications, especially for parties who lack darkvision, the *Light* cantrip, or other means of navigating once the sun goes down. *XGtE* doesn't specify this, but I'd rule the candle is otherwise ordinary and will burn for an hour's worth of illumination, so your PCs can't rely on it as some sort of infinite light source.

## 9) Dread Helm
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A magical steel helmet that makes the wearer's eyes glow with red light for as long as its worn. The PC's eyes don't provide illumination or anything like that, they just glow red. This item has only role-play applications, but combined with the right level of darkness or boisterousness you could easily scare, manipulate, or fool NPCs...or just use it to look cool. As a DM, you can also use this against your PCs by having one of your bad guys wear it to project an added air of menace. Then, after they've murdered your baddie, they can fight over who gets the boost to badassitude.

## 8) Cloak of Billowing
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Another item with role-play-only application, the wearer of the *Cloak of Billowing* can expend a bonus action at any time to cause it to billow dramatically. Another fun item for your NPCs to wear. Expect the party Bard to give up shares of future treasure just to own this one, but any PC predisposed to excessive theatrics will have enormous amounts of fun showing this off at critical moments. Monks, oddly enough, are also well-served by this because, let's face it, who doesn't love a good *Fist of the North Star* dramatic cloak billow before they unleash a savage beat-down on a foe?

## 7) Pole of Collapsing
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If you aren't already a fan of the [basic 10' pole](https://steemit.com/gaming/@modernzorker/arming-for-adventure-or-why-would-i-want-one-of-those-basic-equipment-in-d-and-d-part-6), you will be once you get your hands on one of these doo-dads. The hardest part about hauling around a 10' Pole is the fact that it's, you know, *ten feet long*. While there are mundane ways around this, with my personal favorite being a pair of 5' poles that can be screwed together, the *Pole of Collapsing* is the best solution since, for the cost of a single action, you can speak a command word that causes it to shrink to 1' in length for ease of storage/transport. Speaking the command word again causes it to grow to its full 10' length (assuming it has room to extend that far). It doesn't have charges, and its weight doesn't change based on its size, but it's the best of both worlds in terms of both utility and ease of transport. If I'm playing a PC, I will go out of my way to hunt down one of these prior to going on a mission -- they're *that* damn useful.

## 6) Walloping Ammunition
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Of all the common magical items in *XGtE*, this might be my favorite for its comedic value. These are otherwise-normal arrows, bolts, or sling bullets, but they've been enchanted to pack an outlandish, outsized punch. A target hit with one has to make a DC 10 Strength check, or be knocked prone. Assuming they don't break, they retain their magical property and can be re-used.

While a DC 10 Strength check shouldn't be too difficult for most creatures to pass, there are so many tactical advantages to being able to knock enemies prone at a distance that giving PCs (or NPCs) the opportunity to do so with ranged weapons is just ripe for abuse and hilarity. Knocking a fleeing enemy prone gives you the opportunity to catch up. Knocking the first enemy prone in a hallway or other narrow area creates a huge obstacle for anyone else behind him. And let's not even talk about the devastating effect a missile could have if it knocks a target prone who is climbing a rope, scaling a wall, or going up a ladder. But for my money, the potential comedic value of continually knocking someone ass-over-teakettle every round is worth its weight in gold.

Finally, one use of this item that isn't instantly apparent but could be life-saving under the right circumstances: *Walloping Ammunition* is, by definition, magical and therefore can affect enemies which can only be hit by magical weapons or who have resistance or immunity to non-magical damage like Gargoyles, any number of Fiends, and [even the Tarrasque](https://steemit.com/gaming/@modernzorker/michael-s-rpg-shelf-holy-crit-it-s-the-tarrasque). Whoa...!

## 5) Shield of Expression
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Going hand-in-hand with the *Walloping Ammunition* is the *Shield of Expression*. This is an ordinary shield with a design on the front in the form of a face. For the cost of a bonus action, the holder can cause the face to take on a different expression.

This is comedy gold right here, folks. It's your own personal cheerleader, insult generator, and mood enhancer in one. A character holding a *Shield of Expression* is never at a loss for words, even when under the effects of a *Silence* spell. Especially hilarious in the hands of otherwise-stoic characters or the emotionally-challenged. Imagine your Warforged using the shield to give off a big, dopey grin when something goes his way, your laconic Ranger throwing a smirk at the target she's just cornered, or the Rogue walking into the throne room with this thing while the Bard tries to fast-talk the royal guards ("No, no, believe me, it *always* looks disgusted! We *love* Duke Longbottom!").

## 4) Rope of Mending
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What's more annoying than 50' of rope when you only need eight to ten feet for something? Sure, you can cut your rope, but now you have a 40' rope and a 10' rope, and what happens when you need 50' again? Enter the *Rope of Mending*, which can be cut into any number of lengths and pieces, then re-assembled by putting them all end-to-end and speaking a command word. If you lose any of the pieces or if they're destroyed, of course, then your rope will be permanently shortened by that much, but this is basically the Swiss Army version of your standard coil of hempen rope. Use only what you need to bind up your hostages, then repair your rope once you've delivered them safely back to base camp. It's true you can duplicate this effect with enough castings of the *Mending* cantrip, but the *Rope of Mending* fixes itself with a single action, which is pretty darn cool.

## 3) Bead of Refreshment
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Drop this little guy into a liquid and voila, you've instantly got up to a full pint of fresh, cold drinking water. The bead dissolves completely to work its magic, but when you can't boil water or aren't sure if a well is contaminated, one of these can ensure your canteen's full of potable drinking water.

The beads have another use though: they specifically will *not* work on magical liquids or harmful substances like poison, which makes them portable poison finders and liquid testers. Is that water in the fountain, or a Water Weird? Want to know if some knob goblin snuck something into your wine glass when you weren't looking? Looking to cheat like mad in a drinking contest? *Beads of Refreshment* to the rescue.

## 2) Horn of Silent Alarm
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If there's a better common magic item for stealthy infiltration and signaling, it ain't on this list. The *Horn of Silent Alarm* produces no noise when you blow it, but one creature of your choice within 600 feet (who isn't otherwise deafened) hears it loud and clear. You don't have to see the creature or know its exact location, and there can be any amount of stone, lead, wood, or other obstacles between it and you -- as long as it's within 600 feet in any direction, it hears the horn go off. Once they've got the signal, they know the attack can begin, or they need to back off.

Contrast this with *Message*, which only has a range of 120 feet and can be blocked by even small amounts of stone or lead. The *Horn of Silent Alarm* comes with 4 charges, but it regains 1d4 of them every day at dawn, and how many surprise raids are you conducting within a 24-hour period, anyway?

You could also use this to seriously mess with any NPC. Get within 600' of your target, blow the horn, and watch the hysterics begin when your target starts complaining about the horn which no one else can hear. Blow it in the middle of the night to interrupt sleep, target the high priest who is trying to concentrate on his ritual, or distract a sentry...the possibilities are limited to your imagination.

## 1) Wand of Pyrotechnics
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After *Walloping Ammunition*, this is my favorite common magic item from *XGtE*. It comes with seven charges, and all you do is point it in a direction, spend an action along with a charge, and create a sudden burst of multi-colored light at a point you can see up to 60' away, accompanied by a loud crackling sound that can be heard up to 300' away. It regains 1d6+1 charges every day at dawn, but if you expend the last charge you roll a d20. If it comes up 1, the wand itself bursts into a harmless explosion and vanishes.

This sucker is a portable distraction kit and flash-bang all in one. There's no verbal component, so you can set it off without alerting others to your presence. Shock the hell out of a group of enemies with a sudden, one-second burst of light and crackling explosions. Bards, Sorcerers, or other performers, you can use this to distract an audience in combination with *Prestidigitation* or other effects. It's a quick and easy way to get everyone looking somewhere else, and that (oddly enough) makes it perfect for Rogues and other stealthy types.
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*Xanathar's Guide to Everything* contains plenty of other awesome content, including tons more fun, annoying, and cool common magical items, but these are my personal top picks. If you have other favorites, either from *XGtE*, or the *DMG*, or some other source, drop a note in the comments and let me know. As always, thanks for reading and may all your hits be crits!