Hello, fellow adventurers! Today, we are excited to share a collection of magic items from legends and myths across the world from our upcoming Kickstarter project, 300+ Mythological Items for 5E and 2024.

Step into a realm of ancient gods, legendary heroes, and forgotten civilizations with Mythological Items, a comprehensive compendium featuring over 300 magical items specifically designed for 5E and its 2024 ruleset update. This manual spans a vast array of cultural traditions, organizing its treasures into regional categories for easy reference and immersive worldbuilding. Each item includes not only full game mechanics, but also lore and background information to integrate it seamlessly into your campaign, whether as treasure, quest rewards, or the key to an unfolding mythic saga. From the storm-summoning weapons of thunder gods to cursed trinkets whispered of in ancient lore, this book brings myth to your table like never before.

This manual offers an extensive collection of magical items that can be incorporated into any campaign, regardless of its connection to specific mythological themes. The items presented in this volume, drawn from a multitude of global legends and folklore, are envisioned to enhance the diversity and depth of any fantasy world. This eclectic array mirrors the inherent blending of elements in many worlds and settings, where influences from various cultures and mythologies coexist harmoniously. For instance, Thor’s Hammer, Mjölnir, could serve as the centerpiece of a divine quest, while Draupnir, the Norse ring of endless wealth, might drive political intrigue or power struggles in a kingdom torn by greed.

Mythological Items also provides a solid foundation for campaigns that wish to delve deeper into the relics of a specific mythology or blend multiple traditions into a larger, interconnected setting. A campaign inspired by Greek mythology could see players donning the Nemean Lion’s Pelt, becoming nearly invulnerable as they take on challenges worthy of Heracles himself, while a campaign drawing from Japanese folklore could involve uncovering the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi, the fabled grass-cutting sword tied to imperial lineage and divine storms.

We suggest checking our pre-launch page for additional info and an extended 30-page preview of our compendium, scheduled to release in September! For the campaign duration, we will be offering the manual at an heavily discounted price, alongside tthe possibility to purchase the digital or physical copies of all our past releases!

These are 10 aberration and mutation-themed feats for characters whose bodies or minds have been altered by eldritch influence, forbidden experimentation, unstable magic, or contact with things that were never meant to exist.

Aberrant Constitution hardens the body against necrotic or psychic influence and even gives you a second chance when rolling a natural 1 on a death save.

Extra Arm gives your character a developing additional limb that can interact with objects, perform somatic components, make unarmed strikes, and help with grappling. If the mutation continues to develop, Enhanced Extra Arm turns it into a fully functional appendage capable of wielding a weapon or shield, manipulating objects independently, and making an additional weapon attack.

Mutable Form lets your body temporarily reshape itself to fit the situation, developing rubbery damage-resistant flesh, aquatic adaptations, or magical claws.

The other feats explore different directions that mutation can take:

Mutagenic Resilience provides resistance to poison, immunity to the poisoned condition, and bursts of temporary hit points when injured.

Aberrant Regeneration makes healing through Hit Dice unusually effective and can even allow you to remain standing at 1 hit point when an attack would otherwise knock you unconscious.

Aberrant Mind represents a consciousness becoming increasingly alien, providing resistance to psychic damage and greater protection against fear and charm.

Adaptive Mutation allows your body to change its defenses after each long rest, adapting to acid, cold, fire, lightning, or poison.

Cosmic Infusion channels stranger forces entirely, granting minor cosmic magic and the ability to create a localized gravitational field that pulls or repels nearby creatures.

Finally, Cosmic Awareness represents a mind beginning to perceive patterns beyond ordinary mortal understanding, allowing you to manipulate initiative and rely on unnatural certainty when making Arcana or Insight checks.

They’re intended for characters touched by aberrations, exposed to mutation zones, altered by experiments, descended from strange bloodlines, or simply slowly becoming something other than mortal over the course of a campaign.

These feats are from The Aberrant Codex: Mutations and Aberrations, a 5E manual centered on aberrations, mutations, evolving monstrosities, character transformations, and tools for bringing cosmic and body horror into a campaign.

The Aberrant Codex is available on DriveThruRPG, and a Hardcover edition is also available here:
https://buy.stripe.com/8x24gyfNNegY75qgwI6c005

What’s Inside:

Mutation Rules & Zones – Rules for unstable magical areas, arcane corruption, and the transformations they can cause.

Character Options – 12 subclasses, 10 backgrounds, 4 new races, and 30 feats focused on mutation, aberrations, and forbidden evolution.

Spells & Items – 33 spells and 80+ magic items shaped by aberrant and planar influences.

Monsters & Templates – More than 150 monster statblocks, alongside variant rules and mutations for creating altered creatures.

VTT Resources – 100+ creature tokens and 125+ art handouts for use in your games.

You can also find more of my creatures and manuals on DriveThruRPG, my Linktree, or by visiting r/JonnyDM!

If you enjoy my work and want to find even more, check out my bundle of small D&D manuals on DMsGuild.

Was told by friend I should i probably post my homebrew rules I use it might be helpful for other DM's who are running campaigns in the setting

1. New Resting Rules

I pulled these from the transformed book but extended them and I use grievous wounds system every time someone goes down instead of death saves but if they go down three times in a combat they are incapacitated the fourth time and susceptible to instant death of they go down again.

Rests are crucial for characters to regain their resources, especially for those with spells slots and abilities that require long rests to recover. For players seeking a more challenging experience in Etharis, you can change the rules for resting into the following suggested format:

Quick rest (1 hour) — Quick Rest

Benefits of a Quick Rest

When you finish the Quick Rest, you gain the following benefits:

Spend Hit Point Dice. You can spend one or more of your Hit Point Dice to regain Hit Points. For each Hit Point Die spent in this way, roll the Hit Point Die and add your Constitution modifier to it. You regain Hit Points equal to the total (minimum of 1 Hit Point). You can decide to spend an additional Hit Point Die after each roll.

Interrupting a Quick Rest

A Quick Rest is stopped by the following interruptions:

Rolling Initiative

Casting a spell other than a cantrip

Taking any damage

An interrupted Quick Rest confers no benefits and must be restarted to gain any benefits.

Short rest (8 hours) — A Short Rest is an extended period of rest—at least 8 hours—available to any creature. During a Short Rest, you sleep for at least 6 hours and perform no more than 2 hours of light activity, such as reading, talking, eating, or standing watch.

A Short Rest can occur in any location where you can sleep without interruption. This might take place in a dangerous location that has been temporarily secured and guarded. During sleep, you have the Unconscious condition. After you finish a Short Rest, you must wait at least 8 hours before starting another one or starting a Long Rest.

Regain Half Hit Point Dice. You regain a number of spent Hit Point Dice equal to half of your total number of Hit Point Dice (minimum of 1). For example, if you have eight Hit Point Dice, you regain up to four spent Hit Point Dice.

Spend Hit Point Dice.

Exhaustion Reduced. If you have the Exhaustion condition, its level decreases by 1.

Special Feature. Some features are recharged by a Short Rest.

Long rest (1 week) — A Long Rest is a period of extended downtime—at least 1 week—available to any creature. During a Long Rest, you sleep for at least seven 6-hour periods separated by 16 hours of light activity, such as reading, talking, eating, crafting, trading, or performing downtime activities.

A Long Rest can only occur in safe locations that provide shelter, warmth, comfort, and resources like food and water. This could be a settlement, homestead, stronghold, inn, castle, or large city. A Long Rest cannot be completed in areas of discomfort or danger, such as a wilderness, dungeon, alley, or sewer. If the location is dangerous enough that characters feel the need to post watch, it cannot accommodate a Long Rest.

During sleep, you have the Unconscious condition. After you finish a Long Rest, you must wait at least 16 hours before starting another one or a Short Rest.

2. Secondary Magic Effects

Magic in Etharis is not a tool—it is a force of nature, as feared as it is revered. In a land where sorcery is scarce, those who wield it do so with deadly precision, shaping the battlefield with every spell cast. Yet, the world does not bend easily to magic’s will.

With the new Long Rest and Short Rest rules, the rhythm of combat has changed. Healing is scarce, resources must be managed carefully, and spellcasting is no longer a limitless wellspring of power. This necessitates a shift—magic must be felt.

To reinforce this, spells are now more dangerous, more impactful, and more unpredictable. Every leveled spell cast carries weight, shaping not only the damage dealt but the very state of battle itself. Fire does more than burn—it lingers. Ice slows. Lightning disrupts. Acid corrodes armor, while Necrotic energy siphons life from its victims.

This is a balance patch for spellcasters, ensuring that when they do cast, it is an event—a moment that changes everything. Casters are no longer artillery batteries, slinging spells without cost. Instead, they are feared warlords, devastating the battlefield in rare but decisive moments.

Magic in Etharis is not just power—it is a weapon of desperation, destruction, and dread.

This section would be too long but I'll post three of the secondary magic effects I made you can message me separately if you want the rest. Disclaimer this only activates on leveled spells.

• Fire (Burning Damage)

You’re on fire only if you take the fire damage:

Ongoing Damage. At the end of each of your turns, you take damage. The damage amount are indicated by the level of spell condition, 1st or 2nd (1d6 Fire), 3rd or 4th (2d6 Fire), 5th or 6th (3d6 Fire), 7th - 9th (4d6 Fire). This does not stack

Ending the Condition. The condition ends if you or another creature within 5 feet of you can spend an action to extinguish the flames or scrape off the acid, or if some other effect douses the flames (such as being submerged in water).

Flammable objects ignite if not being worn or carried.

• Lightning (Reaction Disruption)

Targets hit by Lightning damage cannot take reactions until the end of their next turn.

If wearing metal armor, they have disadvantage on the saving throw against the effect and Lightning attacks have Advantage against them. Shields cannot be used to block this damage with reactions.

• Healing (Bolstered Heal)

When healing from a leveled spell is dealt the target gains Valor condition for one turn.

Valor

Add a die to your attack rolls and saving throws. The die rolled is specified by the the level of the spell, such as Valor 1st - 3rd (1d4), 4th - 6th (1d6), 7th - 9th (1d8).

3. Revised Fighter

This helps bring fighters to a good baseline this is very optional but all my martials love it

https://www.gmbinder.com/share/-MWXiWBPCvEPDxO1I9ai

https://imgur.com/a/PbfRX5D

4. Alchemy and Herbalism Kits rules extension

This gives martials a lot of missing versatility that casters benefit from which is key since casters are fewer in number since this is dark fantasy.

Kits do not have infinite resources they each cost 50 gold for base resources and you can craft a number of things equal to your proficiency bonus before the kit is exhausted using the Alchemy rules book

https://www.gmbinder.com/share/-MNG6P6I8-1tJM3aroaV

5. Shield Mechanics

Shield Block

This optional rule allows shield bearers to sacrifice their shield in order to reduce damage from an incoming attack. In this rule system, non-magical shields have their own set of hit points, which you can use in place of yours when the moment calls for it. When a creature wielding a shield is hit by an attack, it can use its reaction to direct damage from the incoming attack to the shield’s pool of hit points, instead of taking the damage itself. If the shield is reduced to 0 hit points, it is broken, and any excess damage is dealt to the creature wielding the shield as normal. A broken shield gives no bonus to the shield bearer’s AC.

A shield’s durability is based on the material it’s made of. Below is a list of example shields.

Shield Durability Table

Wooden Buckler Shield 5 HP 20gp

Normal Metal Shield 10 HP 40gp

Retractable Metal Shield 20 HP 300gp

Metal Tower Shield 30 HP 200gp

Shield Repair

If a shield takes damage or is broken, it can be repaired at any armorsmith at a cost of 1 imperial crown for each hit point recovered.

When a shield is damaged in this way, it is unable to be repaired by the tools available to an adventurer on the road such as their travelers artisan’s tools, or the Mending spell. Instead, to return the shield to its original condition it must be taken to a shop and repaired by a craftsman.

6. Weapon and Armor Durability

- Every time you roll a 1 (critical fumble) on an attack roll, your non-magical weapon takes damage. It loses -1 to attacks. This stacks with further crit fumbles, up to a maximum of -3, after which the non-magical weapon breaks and can’t be used. Poor quality weapons break after your first natural 1 because they are low quality and poor upkeep.

- Medium and Heavy Armor is treated a little differently: when an NPC or monster scores a 20 (critical hit), you as a player can decide whether you want to take the double damage or whether your non-magical armor is damaged with a -1 penalty to AC. This penalty stacks with successive crit hits up to a maximum of -3, after which the non-magical armor breaks and is unusable. (This option might potentially save the PC from being knocked unconscious or killed by a critical hit.)

- Damaged weapons and armor can be repaired by an armorer, weaponsmith or bowyer (depending on the weapon/armor) for half the original price of the weapon or armor.

- A PC can repair their own weapons and armor during down time if they have have the relevant background and tools (e.g. Guild Artisan or Clan Crafter Backgrounds with relevant area of expertise: armorer, bowyer, weaponsmith). They’ll need a forge if the weapon or armor is made of metal. The price for repairing their own weapons and armor is a quarter of the original cost of the item. Only armor can be repaired by the mending spell during a short rest (eg. 1 day) without going to a forge for repairs.

No matter who repairs the item, it takes 1 day per -1 to fix (i.e. 3 days to fix -3 damaged weapon).

7. Split Magic System

Based on the way that magic is explained in Grim Hollows there are 3 different magic systems Arcane, Primal, and Divine. I separate them and don't allow them to cross over so for multiclass requirements primal casters like rangers can't multiclass into divine. This is key for how magic is seen in the world. Primal and Arcane are feared and you need formative training to cast effectively without losing control while divine magic is more seen as performing miracles.

Arcane Casters:

Wizard

Sorcerers

Warlock

Primal Casters:

Druid

Ranger

Divine Casters:

Cleric

Paladin

8. Magic Miscast

The preface was key for this section to make sense. Magic is inherently dangerous in grim hollow, I built a magic miscast system that will activate every time an arcane or primal caster loses concentration on a spell they must roll on a table that has a chance of a negative effects happening even daemon possession. If interested I can send the table separately. This makes war casters feat make a player or npc seem more like a person who is more in control of their magic and trained for close combat casting.

9. Wild Magic Surges

This is the last one I will do since this is already a bit long lol. I have a modified dark fantasy wild magic surge table happen when players encounter rogue casters to lean into that fear of untrained magic and make the mechanics line up with the lore. I can send the table I made separately or DM's can make their own.

Lol bit of a long post but hope this helps someone

Dogs are some of the most common companions in fantasy adventures, but an ordinary dog can quickly fall behind once the party starts gaining levels.

So I wanted to give them a proper progression path: Dog → Guard Dog → War Dog → Battle Hound. A simple pet can gradually become tougher, better trained, and capable of surviving alongside an adventuring party without suddenly turning into a completely different magical creature.

And the progression doesn’t stop there. The full dog section also includes stronger options such as the Warhound Alpha, Guardian Mastiff, Blink Dog, and Greater Blink Dog, with higher-level abilities focused on guarding allies, leading packs, protecting companions, and filling more specialized roles in encounters.

These statblocks are from Growing Pets and Animals Statblocks, a manual built around the idea that pets, mounts, scouts, familiarlike companions, and ordinary animals should be able to grow alongside the campaign instead of becoming irrelevant after a few levels.

The book contains 60+ animal statblocks covering dogs, cats, bats, owls, ravens, horses, panthers, tigers, spiders, scorpions, eagles, frogs, lizards, rats, and more, with progression chains that take many of them from ordinary animals into increasingly capable companions or encounter creatures.

The rules page also includes suggested advancement schedules for standard, gritty realism, low-magic, and high-magic/epic campaigns, so the DM can decide how quickly a companion grows rather than tying every game to the same progression speed.

After the original version performed well, I went back and created a full V2 update, commissioning and licensing new artwork throughout the book, cleaning up the presentation, revising existing material, and adding new statblocks and expanded progression paths. If you already own the manual, you can simply download the updated version again from DriveThruRPG.

You can also subscribe to the newsletter for updates on Mythological Items, launching on Kickstarter this September with 300+ magic items inspired by myths and legends from around the world. Subscribers can also download a free 30-page preview.

For more creatures, items, previews, and upcoming projects, you can also visit my DriveThruRPG, Linktree, or r/JonnyDM.

After 50++ years of playing the game, i have never used minis. I have developed a pretty good ability to describe a room effectively, keep track of all my players and monsters (sometimes that needs a little sketch behind the screen) and keep the flow going.

I know minis add a visual flair, but i've never been able to afford them, so I've had to make do.

i made a 2 minute video about it on youtube. u/mystre63

https://youtube.com/shorts/NRIr4o_Gkog

enjoy

Here is the Sword of the Abyss, a cursed scaling weapon that evolves from Uncommon to Legendary as its wielder embraces abyssal power, performs forbidden rituals, sacrifices life and magic to the blade, and defeats powerful fiends. By consuming their essence, the sword reflects the brutal nature of demons, forever slaughtering and devouring one another in their endless struggle to grow stronger.

I wanted to create an evil counterpart to a traditional heroic growing weapon. The sword begins as a useful necrotic blade with a weakening aura, but each new rarity brings it closer to its true purpose. It eventually gains the power to summon demons, cast circle of death, restrain enemies with shadowy tendrils, overcome necrotic resistance and immunity, and open a devastating Abyssal Rift around its wielder.

The pages includes several possible advancement paths, allowing the sword to grow by defeating powerful abyssal creatures, absorbing the essence of legendary enemies, accepting dark bargains, feeding on sacrifices, completing forbidden rituals, or damaging the barriers between planes.

Its growth also strengthens its semi-sentient curse. The sword can compel its wielder to attack celestials and devils, and if it becomes powerful outside the Abyss, it may tear open a permanent portal that cannot be closed through ordinary means. At Legendary rarity, that danger becomes alarmingly real.

You can find the complete Sword of the Abyss supplement for free on DMsGuild.

It is also included in many of my discounted bundles on Dmsguild alongside the Growing Magic Items Collection, elemental treasures, and several other standalone relics.

My next Kickstarter, Mythological Items, launches this September with more than 300 magic items inspired by myths and legends from around the world, including many scaling relics.

For my larger projects and full-length manuals, visit my DriveThruRPG. For free previews, new creatures, magic items, and project updates visit r/JonnyDM!