Magic Items and March of the Monks
The Gelatinous Cubicles team is excited to announce our new event, March of the Monks! Every Monday this March, we will be releasing a new monk archetype, as well as articles going into what went into the creation of each of these very different versions of the same exciting class. Monk is a fun challenge to design for, and we are super excited get started!
To prepare for this event, our office has opened an entirely new department of just monks, and since their contracts include a vow of poverty, we have a whole set of monastic magic items to get you all ready for a solid month of monk-content. Each of these items was handcrafted by fully-employed-yet-somehow-still-unpaid monastic artisans (artists, amirite?), and are designed to complement any kung foo fighting PCs you decide to play, whether they're a classic Open Hand or one of our new archetypes, just around the corner! Enjoy!
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March of the Monks: Magic Items
Welcome to March of the Monks! To celebrate this wonderfully unique class, Gelatinous Cubicles will release weekly homebrew every Monday of this upcoming March. We hope that these monk-themed magic items wet your appetite and that you look forward to next week's release!
Blackened-Oak Staff
Weapon (quarterstaff), very rare (requires attunement)
This smooth oak staff has a fractal burn mark snaking up and down the length of it. It functions as a magical quarterstaff with a +2 bonus to attack and damage rolls. Any creature attuned to the staff has resistance to lightning and thunder damage while they hold it. The staff has 10 charges, and regains 1d6+4 charges daily at dawn.
As an action, you can expend some of the staff’s charges to cast one of the following spells (DC 16); lightning bolt (6 charges), shatter (4 charges), or thunderwave (2 charges).
On a hit with the staff, you can expend 1 charge to deal an extra 1d6 lightning damage.
When you would take lightning or thunder damage while holding the staff, you can use your reaction to interpose the staff. You become immune to lightning and thunder damage until the start of your next turn, and the staff regains 1d4+1 expended charges, up to its maximum 10 charges. After you use this property, you cannot use it again until after the next dawn.
Dragonwood Incense
Wondrous item, very rare
This single stick of incense is a deep burgundy and smells sharply of acidic smoke and sandalwood before even being burnt. When you begin a short or long rest, you can expend the incense and burn it for 1 hour. Any creature that spends their rest within 30 feet of the incense is invigorated by the fumes and gains advantage on Dexterity, Wisdom and Intelligence saving throws as well as attack rolls until they take damage.
Lotusleaf Tea
Wondrous item, rare
This exceptionally strong tea comes as dried leaves in a variety of flavors and must be steeped in water for ten minutes before it can be consumed. Each allotment of leaves can produce a single cup of brewed tea.
As an action, you can drink the brew to embolden your body with elemental energy, granting 1d4 additional elemental damage to your unarmed attacks and granting resistance to an elemental damage type depending on the flavor, as shown on the Lotusleaf Elements table.
Lotusleaf Elements
Flavor Elemental Type
Acrid Green Poison
Bitter Black Acid
Chilled White Cold
Spiced Red Fire
Sweet Blue Lightning
The effects of consuming dragonleaf tea last 10 minutes after consumption. Brewed dragonleaf tea loses its magical potency after 24 hours.
Master's Obi
Wondrous item, legendary (requires attunement by a monk)
This obi is woven with magical threads imbued with the lifeforce of a legendary master of martial arts. While attuned to the obi, you can choose different methods of wearing it to obtain varying benefits. You can change how you wear the sash as an action.
Belt. The obi fortifies your stance, making you a sturdy adversary. Creatures provoke an opportunity attack from you when they enter your reach. In addition, when you roll a Strength or Dexterity saving throw, you can roll your Martial Arts die and add it to the roll.
Headband. The obi heightens your mental faculties. You have truesight, notice secret doors hidden by magic, and can see into the Ethereal Plane, all out to a range of 120 feet. In addition, when you roll a Wisdom or Intelligence saving throw, you can roll your Martial Arts die and add it to the roll.
Sash. The obi strengthens your heart and inner spirit. You are immune to being charmed or frightened, and you cannot be compelled towards actions by any magical means. In addition, when you roll a Constitution or Charisma saving throw, you can roll your Martial Arts die and add it to the roll.
Monkey's Bō
Weapon (bō*), legendary (requires attunement by a monk)
This staff is topped by the carved icon of a monkey and bears the weathered grip of centuries of martial artists. You have +3 bonus to attack and damage rolls made with this magic weapon. In addition, you can spend 2 ki points to use one of the following abilities:
Monkey's Pilfering. When you hit a creature with a weapon attack, you can attempt to disarm the target, forcing it to drop one item of your choice that it's holding. You add your Martial Arts die to the attack's damage roll, and the target must make a Strength saving throw against your Monk save DC. On a failed save, it drops the object you choose. The object lands at its feet.
Monkey's Nature. When you hit a creature with a weapon attack, you can attempt to distract the creature, giving your allies an opening. You add your Martial Arts die to the attack's damage roll. Each attack roll against the target made by an attacker other than you has advantage until the start of your next turn.
Monkey's Stride. When you begin to move on your turn, you can roll your Martial Arts die and add the number rolled to your AC until the end of your next turn. After you use one of these abilities, you cannot use it again until you finish a short or long rest.
*the bō is a weapon from our Expanded Weapons supplement.
Shadowisp Blindfold
Wondrous item, rare (requires attunement)
This dark grey silk blindfold floats gently on its own, as if it was made of something between fabric and dark smoke. When an attuned creature wears the blindfold, they become immune to the blinded condition, and can see through magical and non-magical darkness as if it were dim light, or through dim light as though it were bright light, out to a range of 120 feet.
If any other creature wears the blindfold, they are blinded until it is removed. An unattuned creature must use their action to make a DC 15 Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) check in order to successfully remove the blindfold, as its strange material is wispy and difficult to grasp.