While they may not be the most useful items to aid you on your adventuring, they sure are catalysts for shenanigans, role play, and creativity. Whether you are a player getting to start out with a common magic item or a DM looking to stock your first magic shop, these seven Common Magic Items are perfect to spark role play in both new players and veterans.

Charlatan's Die

Perfect for the gambler in the party, the Charlatan’s Die is a staple piece of any swindler's pocket. Whether you are stacking the odds for a few gold or tricking a commoner into doing your bidding, the Charlatan’s Die can always give you a leg up when things would normally be left up to chance.

art by: Ian Llanas

 

Cloak of Many Fashions

While wearing this cloak, you can use a bonus action to change the style, color, and apparent quality of the garment. The cloak's weight doesn't change. Regardless of its appearance, the cloak can't be anything but a cloak. Although it can duplicate the appearance of other magic cloaks, it doesn't gain their magical properties.

Maybe you are a changeling needing to quickly adapt your outfits to different facades. Maybe you are a performer never being able to keep up with the characters you portray. While probably not the most useful item on this list, describing different outfits throughout the campaign will always add a bit of flavor to your character's look.

Hat of Vermin

This hat has 3 charges. While holding the hat, you can use an action to expend 1 of its charges and speak a command word that summons your choice of a bat, a frog, or a rat. The summoned creature magically appears in the hat and tries to get away from you as quickly as possible. The creature is neither friendly nor hostile, and it isn't under your control. It behaves as an ordinary creature of its kind and disappears after 1 hour or when it drops to 0 hit points. The hat regains all expended charges daily at dawn.

One of my personal favorites on this list, the Hat of Vermin is a chaotic adventurer's dream. Want to summon a rat to run across the tavern floor to distract a guard while you swipe his keys? Want to send an entire nobles party into mayhem by releasing a loose bat in the hall? Want to bribe some kids for some information by giving them a frog to play with? The possibilities are endless with this magic item and the more you play with one, the more ideas you will get.

Illuminator's Tattoo

While this tattoo is on your skin, you can write with your fingertip as if it were an ink pen that never runs out of ink. As an action, you can touch a piece of writing up to one page in length and speak a creature's name. The writing becomes invisible to everyone other than you and the named creature for the next 24 hours. Either of you can dismiss the invisibility by touching the script (no action required). Once used, this action can't be used again until the next dawn.

A rather useful item on this list, this tattoo turns your finger into an invisible ink pen. This allows one other person to read the script wherever it may be. You can write a secret letter to a companion you are trying to break out of jail or erase a signature on a deed. Whenever the party starts to get into shady business, invisible ink is always useful.

Instrument of Scribing

This musical instrument has 3 charges. While you are playing it, you can use an action to expend 1 charge from the instrument and write a magical message on a nonmagical object or surface that you can see within 30 feet of you. The message can be up to six words long and is written in a language you know. If you are a bard, you can scribe an additional seven words and choose to make the message glow faintly, allowing it to be seen in nonmagical darkness. Casting Dispel Magic on the message erases it. Otherwise, the message fades away after 24 hours.

Perfect for bards, this magical instrument lets you have the ability of writing small messages on mundane objects from a distance. While it doesn’t sound like much more than what a knife could do, this magic item does provide some cool flavor and fantasy to any musical character. The added benefit of the message glowing in magical darkness if you are a bard is also an interesting mechanic that is sure to have a few useful applications.

Pot of Awakening

If you plant an ordinary shrub in this 10-pound clay pot and let it grow for 30 days, the shrub magically transforms into an awakened shrub at the end of that time. When the shrub awakens, its roots break the pot, destroying it. The awakened shrub is friendly toward you. Absent commands from you, it does nothing.

This one speaks for itself. Who doesn’t want a small awakened shrub pet friend to accompany you on all of your journeys? The roleplay potential with this one is higher than any other one on this list. Throw in Speak with Plants and you’ve got your DM in on the role play, too! Also keep in mind… the awakened shrub can be polymorphed.

art by: 

Camille Ruley on Twitter

 

Talking Doll

While this stuffed doll is within 5 feet of you, you can spend a short rest telling it to say up to six phrases, none of which can be more than six words long, and set a condition under which the doll speaks each phrase. You can also replace old phrases with new ones. Whatever the condition, it must occur within 5 feet of the doll to make it speak. For example, whenever someone picks up the doll, it might say, "I want a piece of candy." The doll's phrases are lost when your attunement to the doll ends.

Of course it can’t all be happy plant friends and fancy outfits. There is always that one creepy character in every party, and if you are playing that creepy adventurer, then this is the perfect magic item for you. From your character believing the doll is actually alive to talking exclusively through the doll, this thing can add a ton of creep to your character.