It’s been a busy week for Dungeons & Dragons fans. We finally got a more in-depth look at the next new sourcebooks, Arcana Unleashed and Arcana Unleashed: Deadfall. The next season of the official D&D actual play series, Dungeon Masters, is also underway. But before all of that news hit, we also got another wave of new D&D 5e content on D&D Beyond. If you’re not into the Season of Horror, these drops offer some off-theme content to keep you swimming in new goodies before we switch over to the Season of Magic this fall.
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The July Drops on D&D Beyond featured an influx of content aimed at DMs and players alike. I already broke down and ranked the newly added feats. Now, I’m coming back for another player-facing installment of new content: the magic items. There are three new magic items in this month’s Drops, which can be viewed in the subscriber content library as long as you have a D&D Beyond subscription at any tier. Let’s take a look at what’s on offer, ranked in order of how much you need to beg your DM to let your next character have them.
3) Goggles of Foe-Finding
This new rare Wondrous Item has a short but sweet description. Essentially, these goggles let you strike your foes much more easily. Your ranged attacks can disregard both half-cover and 3/4 cover. So, only a creature will full cover will be able to evade your arrows, bullets, etc. If you plan to play a ranged character and manage to get your hands on such a rare item, these would certainly be worth having.
As a rare item, I’ll admit I expected it to do a bit more. Don’t get me wrong, ignoring partial cover can be huge in combat, especially against foes that like to hide. But there are already quite a few spells and feats, such as Sharpshooter, commonly used by ranged characters that have this same effect. If you happen to be playing a character that’s rocking a lot of ranged attacks but can’t take these feats for some reason, then the Goggles of Foe-Finding are a great workaround. But otherwise, I think there’s better offers from this new magic item list.
2) Climber’s Ammunition
This is a new uncommon item, which can be an arrow, bolt, firearm bullet, sling bullet, or needle. Basically, if it’s ammunition for a ranged weapon, it’s on the table to become Climber’s Ammunition. And I can already imagine quite a few scenarios from my own past D&D adventures where it would’ve been incredibly useful to have. Sometimes, you just need to climb, and this item will help make sure you’re always ready to do just that.
Climber’s ammunition attaches to any solid surface you hit with it. It then spawns a magic rope that remains in place for up to an hour, or when you dismiss it. Just don’t miss your target, because this special ammunition will do zero damage if it hits a creature. If you’re headed into a campaign where you anticipate climbing out of holes or up cliffs, having this uncommon item in your arsenal will almost surely come in handy. That said, most starting equipment does include rope, so you can often figure out a way to climb surfaces with a little creativity. Still, having an automatic tether and a magic rope is pretty helpful, so I’m rating this the most exciting of our new options.
1) Stormwalker’s Cloak
Our second rare Wondrous Item from this month’s D&D Beyond drops is the Stormwalker’s Cloak. I love a good magic cloak, so I was pretty excited to see what this one has to offer. It’s got two primary benefits: resistance to Lightning and Thunder damage, plus a built-in attack. Specifically, it lets you cast Hellish Rebuke without burning a spellslot. Only instead of Fire damage, you’ll dole out the thematic Lightning or Thunder damage, insetad.
If you’re going for a lightning character vibe but don’t want to play a caster, this could be a fun way to add that flavor. It’s also not a bad deal to beef up a caster with an extra spell slot to dole out a bit of damage between long rests. Though there are certainly other ways to cast Hellish Rebuke or gain resistances, I like this as a “rule of cool” item. It’s a great fit for campaigns where you’re up against Thunder Giants or for a thematic character that’s giving Storm from X-Men vibes. Because we all know what happens to a toad when it’s struck by lightning, right?
Which of these new magic items are you bringing to your next D&D session? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
