Magic weapons have been a part of Dungeons & Dragons from the beginning. They are the prized possessions of virtually every character class. Even wizards love to get their hands on a magic dagger or staff to up the odds of a favorable outcome.

Warrior with magic swords

Sword Magic by Conor Burke - source: DeviantArt

Throughout my years and many characters across D&D, Pathfinder and so forth, the quest to find a magic weapon is the first priority more often than not. There are just so many foes in game that are only able to be damaged by a magic weapon. So it becomes an obsession for most of us to find the biggest, baddest weapon that we can get our hands on.

And we get frustrated if we get past level 2 or 3 and still don’t have a magic weapon. It’s even worse when you’re the last member of the party to find one that fits your character. It can be one of the most aggravating feelings of playing D&D at times.

Over the years we’ve had our share of magic weapons. Most are your generic run of the mill variety weapons. A few, however, have been exceptional. Here are some of my favorite magic weapons from the Wyrmfang Chronicles and elsewhere.

Whelm

This sentient warhammer was recovered by our party during our adventuring foray into White Plume mountain. It was a rather hilarious situation. One of our party members was actually a dark elf traveling in disguise as a normal elf. As presented in our version, Whelm would cause its wielder to hear thundering drums and feel the urge to attack. Since Turimbar the drow was disguised we couldn’t’ figure out what was going on until the very end when he betrayed us and revealed his true nature. My character, Gogun, was the one who wielded it. Being a dwarf, I was the only one Whelm would tolerate.

Wave

Also retrieved from White Plume Mountain, Wave is an intelligent trident. We didn’t find a whole lot of use for it at the time as I recall. We were already a bit weaponed up at the time and I don’t think Wave really cared for any of us. Nowadays, thanks to Jason Momoa as Aquaman, tridents are once again cool.

Sun Blade

The very concept of these blades is cool. It’s literally a D&D lightsaber. Just a hilt that creates a glowing blade of magic on command. And what nerd hasn’t always dreamed of being a jedi in D&D?

Hank’s Energy Bow

If you watched the D&D cartoon series, you’ve all seen Hank’s energy bow. Like the Sun Blade, this is part physical, part magical energy. It is just a bow staff with no string. When he drew it back like a normal bow, a string and arrow of energy would form. Releasing it sent the arrow of energy flying. It’s one weapon that I would love to replicate as a ranger/rogue character.

The Moonblades

These swords are as much a part of their wielders as the rest of their arm. And as each weapon passes to a new owner, that new owner adds a new ability to the weapon. It’s the ultimate family heirloom.

Blade Belt

One of our party currently has one of these. It’s a belt that, on command, can change into any slashing or piercing weapon that he chooses. It comes in handy from time to time, especially when dealing with foes that have damage reduction versus slashing or piercing. Just pick a weapon of the other type and keep hacking away.

The Ba’althrils

These magic weapons are the creations of our Wyrmfang Chronicles DM, Chris. These are nine melee weapons forged of a strange black metal. These weapons each have unique abilities and traits, but they all had downsides to them. They tended to make one lose one’s soul. Oh well. The weapons themselves were created at the same time as the Wyrmfang dagger and most of them will be required to destroy the dagger once and for all.

The Wyrmfang Dagger

The core object of our 20+ year campaign. The Wyrmfang is a dagger forged from the tooth of an evil, ancient, great wyrm. It is an artifact of great evil that we have sought long to destroy. The heroes travel west to find the forge of its creation so that it can be destroyed. For the time being, however, that quest is on hold while we switch to the world of Golarion and try to stop the return of the Sky Pharaoh.