Magical weapons in Dungeons & Dragons are mostly meh.
Sure, there is the occasional flaming brand, or luck blade, but for the most part they are +1, +2, or +3 weapons and not much else.
And that’s kind of boring.
Here are a bunch of ways to make a magical weapon feel magical – without falling back on flat numerical bonuses. These are all plug-and-play ideas you can drop straight into old-school D&D games.
For the table below, simply roll 2D6 of differing colour with one being the “tens” and the other being the “units”.
You can also download a PDF which is located at the end of the article.
d66 Magical Weapon Traits
11 Guiding Edge – Points faintly toward treasure, water, or a chosen quarry.
12 Lightbearer – Emits steady or thematic light on command.
13 Thunder Tap – Struck on stone, produces a booming report heard for miles.
14 Silent Blade – Makes no noise when drawn or used.
15 Path-Cutter – Slices mundane chains, ropes, or brambles easily.
16 Shadow-Pin – Stabbing a creature’s shadow holds it in place for a moment.
21 Waker’s Bite – Vibrates when danger nears.
22 Lantern Edge – Clears smoke or darkness briefly when swung.
23 Armour-Breaker – Ignores shields or reduces armour effectiveness.
24 Sure Grip – Cannot be disarmed; leaps to hand with a command word.
25 Momentum Strike – Grows stronger the longer a fight continues.
26 Reaping Blow – On a kill, wielder gains a small burst of temporary strength or morale.
31 Ghost-Cut – Can strike ethereal or incorporeal beings.
32 Breach Point – Once per fight, declare an attack that automatically hits.
33 Splinter Edge – Dropping a foe to 0 HP forces nearby enemies to check morale.
34 Oathbound – Stronger only when fulfilling a sworn purpose.
35 Goblin-Cursed – Goblins can smell the weapon and hate its wielder.
36 Whispering Steel – Offers faint tactical advice, rumours, or insults.
41 Temperamental – Requires daily offerings (blood, coin dust, poem, etc.).
42 Lineage Bound – Reacts to its former owners or their descendants.
43 Witness Blade – Holds memories of past owners and reveals glimpses.
44 Storm-Kissed – Sparks in storms; deals lightning only in rain.
45 Night-Reaver – Stronger in darkness, weaker in daylight.
46 Deep Iron – More potent underground or in caves.
51 Sun-Steeped – Wounds inflicted resist magical regeneration in sunlight.
52 Frostbite Edge – Leaves frost trails; can freeze small amounts of water.
53 Emberbrand – Can ignite flammable material with a spark.
54 Echo Blade – A delayed echo strikes again for minor damage.
55 Spectral Twin – Once per day, creates a ghostly duplicate for one round.
56 Time-Snag – Once per day, act at any point in the initiative order.
61 Memory Drinker – Learns one minor trait from slain monsters.
62 Feather-Touch – Harms only undead, constructs, and spirits.
63 Name-Eater – More potent if its true name remains secret.
64 Blood-Mark – Wounds leave a mark visible only to the wielder for tracking.
65 Curse-Breaker – Once per day, cuts through a minor curse or enchantment.
66 Doom-Calling – The weapon occasionally forewarns calamity (cryptic, ominous).
Most of these can be applied to any weapon, not just blades.
Free PDF Download
I have created a PDF with these listed and their in-game effects (based for OSE / BX, but easily useable by any old school D&D edition or clone), or you can just make up something yourself.
While You’re Here…
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