Dragonlance Magic Items: A Complete Guide to Krynn's Artifacts

Tasslehoff Burrfoot had his hands in his pockets — which, for a kender, means something interesting has just entered someone's life without that person's consent.

In this particular case: a white ivory ring with two tiny ruby eyes that seemed to stare right at you. Tas slipped it on his finger with the curiosity only kender possess. And then there was a white rat in his place.

Dragonlance's magic items aren't just attribute bonuses. They have histories, famous owners, and sometimes side effects no player anticipated when they shouted "I grab the item."

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Why Krynn's magic items are different from any other RPG setting

In most fantasy settings, magic items exist as dungeon rewards or shop merchandise. You find a +2 sword, note it on your sheet, and move on.

In Krynn, every magic item is a historical consequence.

The Dragonlance isn't simply a powerful weapon — it's the only object ever forged specifically to defeat evil dragons, created during the First Dragon War and rediscovered when the world desperately needed hope. The Staff of Magius isn't just a magic staff — it's the legacy of a mage who died so that all mages of Krynn could carry daggers. The Bloodstone of Fistandantilus isn't just a powerful artifact — it's the instrument by which an evil mage stole decades of life from other mages across centuries.

Using a magic item from Krynn is stepping into a story that began long before your character ever existed.

(See our post on Dragonlance's iconic characters to understand who wielded these items and what it cost each of them.)

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The legendary weapons of Krynn — forged to slay dragons and more

The Dragonlance — the weapon that banished the Queen of Darkness

No item in Dragonlance is more iconic than the Dragonlance itself. Created at the end of the First Dragon War, it was Huma's weapon when he faced Takhisis for the final time, exiling her to the Abyss at the cost of his own life.

There are two types: the footman's lance, eight feet long, and the mounted lance, sixteen feet long, designed to be used while riding a dragon with a special harness mount.

The mechanic that makes these weapons extraordinary: against any dragon, the footman's lance deals damage equal to the bearer's hit points. A warrior with 14 hit points deals 14 points of damage to a dragon with a single strike. The mounted lance goes further — it adds together the knight's hit points and those of the mounted dragon. A warrior with 15 hit points riding a dragon with 40 deals 55 points of damage in a single hit.

But there's an important condition: the perfect lance can only be forged using two specific artifacts — the Hammer of Kharas and the Silver Arm of Ergoth working together. Lances forged with only one of the two have reduced bonuses. This makes forging a perfect lance a quest in its own right.

Wyrmsbane and Wyrmslayer — dragon-slaying swords with personalities of their own

Wyrmsbane is a two-sided sword +2 against most creatures — but deals double damage against dragons and Draconians, and triple damage against black dragons and sea dragons. It also locates objects three times per day and never gets stuck in the stone body of a dead Baaz.

Wyrmslayer is more powerful: +3 normally, double damage against any dragon or Draconian, +3 on saving throws against dragon breath and spells. The difference that makes all the difference: Wyrmslayer was the sword of the elven hero Kith-Kanan, and it hums aggressively when within 30 meters of any true dragon.

This means hiding from a dragon with Wyrmslayer sheathed is literally impossible. The hum is loud enough to wake a sleeping dragon. For adventurers who need discretion — or who are trying to pass through a Draconian guard post without incident — this "feature" can become a nightmare.

Practical tip: Wyrmslayer is the perfect item for a character who needs real power but accepts a narrative disadvantage that will create memorable situations. The inevitable hum is a guaranteed source of interesting complications.

Mantooth — the sword that devours magic

Also known as Spellcleaver, Darkstar and Magefool — the number of nicknames already says quite a bit about its reputation. Mantooth is a long sword +1/+2 against mages and enchanted creatures, with a unique ability: it can cut through magical barriers with a 1% chance per point of damage dealt, cumulative.

And it can reflect spells back at the caster — but only if the bearer succeeds on a roll to hit AC 0 without applied bonuses. It's a high bet, but in a desperate situation, turning an enemy mage's spell into a weapon against them is exactly the kind of epic moment that defines a campaign.

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The great artifacts — items that changed the history of Krynn

The Dragon Orbs — the setting's most dangerous trap

Three etched crystal spheres, 20 inches in diameter when activated. The Dragon Orbs are probably the most dangerous items an adventuring party can encounter — and not for the obvious reason.

The legend says the Orbs are used to destroy evil dragons. That's true — but incomplete. What the Orbs actually do is summon evil dragons. Powerful mages of antiquity used them to call dragons and then destroy them with magic. The item presupposes that you have enough power to kill what you just summoned.

Any character who looks at an Orb and speaks the command words must make a secret saving throw — the Game Master rolls without revealing the result. If they fail, the character is charmed by the dragon within the Orb. If they succeed, evil dragons within a radius of 1d4 × 10 miles rush toward the Orb — and automatically attack any non-evil creature they encounter.

King Lorac of Silvanesti desperately used an Orb to try to save his kingdom from the Dragonarmies. The Orb imprisoned him. And his nightmares transformed the entire elven forest into a living horror that lasted for years.

The Hammer of Kharas — intelligence, strength, and a will of its own

The only hammer capable of forging a perfect Dragonlance. Twice the size of a normal war hammer. Given to the dwarves of Kaolyn by the dwarven hero Kharas in recognition of his deeds — then taken by him to a secret tomb when he refused to watch his companions killing each other in the Dwarfgate Wars.

The Hammer is intelligent (Int 11, Ego 11) and can control any character who touches it if their combined Intelligence and Wisdom is less than 22. Its goals: preserve the safety of dwarves and advance the cause of Good.

Its abilities include immunity to fear, protection against 1st through 4th level magic, curing serious wounds once per day, and giant strength once per day. Against undead and Abyss creatures, it acts as a mace of destruction and turns undead as a 12th-level cleric.

Finding the Hammer — and convincing the Hammer to cooperate — can be the central arc of an entire campaign.

The Bloodstone of Fistandantilus — immortality at any cost

A green jewel with red flecks, in a simple silver setting. Three inches in diameter. Utterly evil.

The Bloodstone allows its bearer to steal the life force of a victim — memories, wisdom, hit points, experience levels, everything transferred to the mage at the cost of the victim's soul. It was the instrument by which Fistandantilus kept himself alive for centuries, consuming promising young mages one by one.

The mechanic involves simultaneous saving throws with four possible outcomes — including the possibility that the attacking mage is the one who comes out damaged. Each use shifts the character's alignment 10 steps toward evil. Raistlin inherited the stone after defeating Fistandantilus in a mental duel.

No item in Krynn better represents the setting's central theme: real power demands a real price, and that price is always moral.

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The smaller items every Game Master should know

Beyond the great artifacts, Dragonlance has a collection of smaller items that are narrative gold.

Tasslehoff's Magical Mouse Ring transforms the wearer into a white rat. Simple as that. Designed by some mage's apprentice for espionage. Tasslehoff found it, put it on out of curiosity, and the rest is history. The rule for leaving the form is simple — just will it. The problem is that the kender didn't always remember this at the right moment.

Tasslehoff's Rabbit Slayer — Rabbitslayer, as he called it — is a +4 dagger that always returns to the kender within 1d20 hours after being lost or stolen. The only way to permanently transfer it is for the owner to give it willingly. Caramon told Tas the knife would only be useful if they were attacked by fierce rabbits. The knife actually deals 1d4+4 damage and was blessed by clerics of antiquity. Caramon never admitted he was wrong.

Raistlin's Cursed Money — 100,000 steel coins paid to treacherous dwarves in exchange for betrayal. Anyone who receives the money as part of a promise and then breaks that promise begins to rot. The flesh of the hands turns black. The process spreads. Only fulfilling the promise, a remove curse, or death stops the process. Raistlin knew exactly what he was doing when he paid.

The Arcanist's Spectacles read any language and allow low-level mages to use high-level scrolls without chance of failure — but they only fit elves and kender. An extraordinarily useful item stuck in a size that ensures only the most inconvenient races to have in a party can use it.

The Medallion of Faith deserves special mention: it has no combat powers, grants no attribute bonuses, and can only create other medallions of faith. But it is the physical symbol of the return of true clerics after 300 years of divine silence. For a cleric character in Krynn, it isn't a magic item — it's proof that the gods still care.

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The Staff of Magius — Dragonlance's most famous item

No discussion of Krynn's magic items is complete without the Staff of Magius.

Magius was the Red-Robed mage who fought alongside Huma in the Second Dragon War. When he was captured by the Queen of Darkness's servants, he had no other weapon — mages of the era couldn't carry anything beyond their magic. He fought until his spells were exhausted and died under torture. Paladine, answering Huma's prayer, decreed that from that day forward all mages of Krynn could carry daggers in memory of Magius.

The staff passed to Raistlin Majere upon completing his Test of High Sorcery — a gift that carried prophetic weight. It functions as a ring of protection +3, a +2 weapon dealing 1d8 damage, and can cast feather fall and continual light once per day.

In the hands of a 6th-level mage or higher, it doubles the duration of spells that influence light, air and minds. It adds 2 points of damage to every damage die of any spell cast by the bearer. It maintains concentration spells for one extra round after the mage stops concentrating.

The staff is sealed in the Tower of High Sorcery in Palanthas — entombed in Raistlin's laboratory as a monument to his madness. Reports from Raistlin's nephew, however, suggest the staff may be free in the world once again.

(See our post on the Robed Mages to understand the full weight of what it means to inherit the Staff of Magius.)

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Which of these items do you most want to put on your table — or wrench from the hands of a character who didn't deserve it? The Orb that dominated Lorac, the Staff that passed from Magius to Raistlin, or the Cursed Money that rots whoever betrays?

Tell us in the comments. And if you've already used any of these items in a campaign, tell us how it went — because in Dragonlance, items almost always end up in a way no one planned.