Custom Gear Options

L
et's be honest, Fifth edition is pretty swell.
Balanced, streamlined, and it puts a lot of
emphasis on "rule of cool." But glancing over
the equipment section of the PHB leaves some
things do be desired, like I don't know, more of
it. I'm no master homebrewer but I came up
with a few things to hopefully add in a bit more
variety to the gear you guys can pick up.

Additonal Martial Weapons

Small Table of Melee Weapons
Name Cost Damage Weight Properties
Saber 25gp 1d8 slashing 3lb. Finesse
Katana 20gp 1d6 slashing, crit range -1 (19-20) 3lb. Versitile (1d8)

Notes: Monks may also add katanas to their proficiency list.

Firearms and Other Blackpowder Weapons
Name Cost Damage Weight Properties
Flintlock Pistol 125gp 1d10 piercing 3lb. Ammunition (range 100/400), reload 1, misfire 2
Musket 300gp 1d12 piercing 10lb. Ammunition (range 200/800), two-handed, reload 1, misfire 2
Pistol 250gp 1d8 piercing 3lb. Ammunition (range 100/400), light, reload 4, misfire 1
Pepperbox 400gp 1d10 piercing 5lb. Ammunition (range 150/600), reload 6, misfire 2
Scattergun 500gp 2d6 piercing 10lb. Ammunition (range 15/30), two-handed, scatter, reload 2, misfire 3
Lever-Action 700gp 1d12 piercing 8lb. Ammunition (range 200/800), two-handed, reload 5, misfire 1
Revolver 1000gp 1d10 piercing 4lb. Ammunition (range 100/400), Light, reload 6
Grenade 200gp Varies 1/2 lb. Thrown (range 30/60), explosive (10ft), misfire 2
Rocket Launcher Special 4d12 piercing 25 lb. Range (60/120), heavy, two-handed, explosive (15ft), loading, misfire 6
Anti Materiel Rifle Special 2d12 piercing 25lb. Ammunition (range 300/1200), Heavy, two-handed, reload 1, misfire 3

Notes
Grenades can pack a vaierty of payloads, ranging from steel
and silver grapeshot (4d6 piercing), flashpowder (DC 15 Con
save or be blinded and deafened for 1d4 rounds), alchemical
fire, (2d4 fire in the affected area for 1d4 rounds)
blackpowder and pitch (heavily obscured area for 1d4
rounds), or copper and elegite shards (2d6 lightning, DC 14
Con save or stunned.) All grenades can be arced over 1/2 and
3/4 cover. Grenades must be crafted with a DC 17 Tinkering
check, failed checks may result in partial or total loss of
material components at the DM's discretion.
All one handed firearms can be used as an improvised
weapon, dealing 1d4 bludgeoning damage, similarly, all
nonheavy two-handed weapons deal 1d6 bludgeoning.
The Anti Materiel Rifle and Rocket Launcher must be
custom built over several weeks or even months, with a series
of difficult crafting checks, and costly material components.
They also require their own specific ammunition.

WEAPONS | GUNS
1

Metals, Alloys, and Ores
Mithril and adamantine are in the DMG treasure lists, so why
not add in some other generic fantasy metals in as well. None
of the effects are particularly crazy, just some slight passive
buffs to your armor for what I think to be an appropriate cost
increase. All metals listed can only form medium and heavy
armor.
Steel
Steel. Tried and true, steel is the backbone of armies,
laborers, and adventurers alike. A reliable and easily
acquired, worked, and maintained, steel is a relatively cheap
and common alloy; don't be fooled however. Steel is so
common because of all these characteristics, why would the
average man waste the time, coin, and effort to procure a
mithril blade or an adamant plow when a steel one will
suffice. Adventurers on the other hand, are not the average
man, and are very particular about what they carry with them
into a moldy, corpse infested monster lair.
Steel weapons and armor have the default price, weight,
and properties listed in the PHB. The following materials
that modify price are basing them off the steel equivalent.
Mithril
Mithril is a lightweight and flexible metal that shines with a
pale milky silver. Prefered by elven smiths for its favorable
metalworking qualities, or nobles and assassins alike looking
for easily concealable body armor. Weapons made out of
mithril are much lighter than their steel counterparts, and
exceptionally well balanced. Armor made out of mithril is
more comfortable to wear, and a mithril chainshirt or
breastplate can be discretely worn under regular clothing
with ease. It is also rattles notably less than other metals.
One-handed weapons gain the "Light" property, and all
weapons made from mithril gain the "Thrown" property
(range 20/60). Mithril is easily worked, but uses rarer ores
than steel swords, and cost five times as much to produce.
E.g. a mithril longsword will cost 75gp and weigh 2lbs, a
greataxe will cost 150gp and weigh 4lbs, a rapier will cost
125 gp and weigh 1lb.
Armor made from mithril no longer has a Strength
requirement to wear, and doesn't impose disadvantage on
Stealth checks. Mithril armor costs two times as much to
produce as steel, with the exception of heavy plate only
costing 1000gp more.
Adamantine
Where mithril is light and flexible, adamantine is one of the
hardest substances that can be found, and incredibly dense.
This dark gray, dull metal is rather heavy and hard, and as
such very difficult to mine out and work. Weapons made out
of adamantine can hold an edge almost indefinitely and never
rust, making them excellent weapons for the discerning
adventurer. Armor made wholly out of adamantine would be
too heavy to properly wear, but armor can easily be reinforced
or formed into alloys to reduce the weight while retaining the
strength to absorb even the mighiest blows.
PART 2 | MATERIAL
2
Critical hits scored with adamantine weapons add an
additional die of damage, and count as magical for the
purpose of overcoming damage resistance. Adamantine
weapons cost ten times as much as steel. An adamantine
greatsword for example, will cost 500gp.
Armor with adamantine composition makes critical hits
against the wearer count as normal hits instead.
Adamantine armor costs five times as much to produce,
ore is easy enough to find but mining and forging it is
much more diffuclt. Half plate costs four times as much
for and plate cost only 2500gp more to make.
Meteoric Iron
Meteoric iron, starsteel, thunderbolt steel, or sky iron,
features bright etched patterns as a result of forging that are
literally out of this world. Rumored to have magical
properties that grant luck, this exceedingly rare material can
never be found in great enough quantities to forge suits of
armor, making blades a popular choice. Nary a few
blacksmith has this ore lying around to work with, and filling
a custom order of starsteel costs them a great expense, but
many will jump at the opportunity to work with the material if
provided, some even at a profit loss.
Weapons forged from meteoric iron count as magical for
the purpose of overcoming damage resistance and expand
the wielder's critical hit range by 1 (19-20 by default.) It
costs thirty times as much to forge due to its rarity,
however, it only costs ten times as much if the player
provides the ore themselves.
Orichalcum
Orichalcum is a dense dull copper colored metal similar to
adamantine, but not nearly to the same degree, frequently
used for lab equipment or medical tools as they don't rust and
remain remarkably clean. Adventurers however, might
procure orichalcum equipment because of its weight, which
many find incredibly useful for keeping their footing once
they get used to wearing it. Another rustless super metal,
orichalcum also conducts electricity extremely well, and for
some inexplicable reason floats in liquids.
Weapons forged from orichalcum are heavy, and require
13 Strength to wield, and grant advantage to checks made
to shove targets or knock them down. They cost ten times
as much to make.
Armor forged from orichalcum are heavy but cleverly built
to distribute the weight around the wearer's body so it
won't tire them out so quickly. It grants advantage to any
check or saving throw that would move the wearer against
their will. They require at least 13 Strength to wear if they
didnt have one, and Strength requirements for armors
that already did increase by 1. Orichalcum armor costs
five times as much to make, half plate costs four times as
much, while plate armor is only increased in cost by
2500gp.

Dimeritium
This dark green, lustrous metal has similar properties to
common steal with one key difference - its extreme reistance
to magic. Dimeritium completely surprresses the wearer's
ability to cast any spells and interferes with any magic cast
near it. A relatively rare material, it is often forged into
shackles and prison bars or lined into walls to prevent magic
exit/entry.
A weapon forged from dimeritium prevents the wielder
from casting spells while holding it, and imposes
disadvantage on concentration checks made as a result of
taking damage from it. Dimeritium weapons cost ten
times as much to make due to the advanced forging
techniques needed to preserve its magically frustrating
qualities.
Armor forged of dimeritium alloys prevents the wearer
from casting spells. Spells cast within 20ft of the wearer
have disadvantage on their attack rolls, and have the DC
of the spell saveing throw reduced by 2. Dimeritium armor
costs six times as much to forge, half plate costs five times
as much, and plate armor costs 3500gp more.
Dimeritium equipment cannot be affected by spells such
as Heat Metal, Telekinesis, Catapult, etc.
Tetsudite
Tetsudite, or soul steel as it's called by some, is a bright metal
that typically is colored shades of red or orange and glows
dully in the dark. Equipment seems to vibrate softly at the
touch, and produces pleasant tones when struck. Tetsudite is
rumored to be able to channel the soul of whoever touches it,
on a scientific basis this has been proven to be a falsehood, as
the average man can't illicit a response. Adventurers however,
have never been tested, as they all seem to be off, rescuing
dragons and slaying princesses.
Tetsudite weapons allow the wielder to expend a hit die to
deal an additional damage die of force damage on a
successful attack. They also count as magical for the
purpose of overcoming damage reistance. The rare ore
costs much more to acquire, weapons cost thirty times as
much.
Armor forged from soul steel allows the wearer to expend
a single hit die to as a reaction to taking damage to deal
that much force damage to the attacker. Tetsudite armor
costs ten times as much to forge. Half plate and plate cost
eights times as much and 9000gp respectively.
Primal Iron
Primal iron is mined from deep naturally formed caves,
waterfalls, sites of lightning strikes, ancient glaciers, and
active volcanoes. Similar in properties to regular iron or steel,
primal iron forges jet black with streaks of crimson. Mystics
insist the ore's proximity to nature's fiercest elemnts give it
magical properties, but most men just observe it to cut well
and look intimidating. Some feel as though their armor gives
them great strength and speed, but these are atrributed by
scholars to a placebo effect or surges of adreneline under
extreme duress.
Weapons forged from primal iron deal an additonal 1d6 of
cold, fire, lightning, or thunder damage (depending on
where the ore was found) to fey, fiends, undead,
elementals, and celestials. It costs fifteen times as much to
produce a primal iron weapon, the ore is hard to find and
cold forged, taking slightly longer to finish.
Primal iron armor allows the wearer to dash 10ft towards
the enemy as a bonus action, and can grant them
advantage on one Strength or Dexterity check per short or
long rest. It costs six times as much to make. Half plate
costs five times as much and full plate costs 5000gp.
Demonsteel
Demon steel weapons arent forged by human hands, instead
they are forged deep in the bowels of the Nine Hells or the
Abyss by unholy blacksmiths slaving away for all eternity. The
weapons and armor themselves are magic in nature, but
bestow a powerful curse upon those greedy enough to take
them as their own.
Demonsteel weapons count as +1 magic weapons and
require attunement. They also grant advantage on
Intimidation checks when the weapon is drawn, but
bestow a cruse upon the wielder when attuned
Curse: Attuning to these weapons gives you the following
flaw: "I will do anything to keep this weapon in my
possession." Wielding a demonsteel weapon gives you
disadvantage on attack rolls against demons and saving
throws against their spells and abilities.
While wearing this armor you gain a +1 bonus to AC, and
you can understand and speak Abyssal. In addition, the
armor's clawed gauntlets turn unarmed strikes with your
hands into your magic weapons that deal slashing
damage, with a +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls and a
damage die of 1d8. Demonic smiths tend to only forge full
plate.
Curse: Once you don this cursed armor you can't doff it
unless you are targeted by the remove curse spell or similar
magic. Wearing the armor gives you disadvantage on attack
rolls against demons and saving throws against their spells
and abilities.
Elegite Crystal
While not technically a metal, elegite can be carved into
armor and reinforced with copper, but is too fragile to form a
full weapon. It possesses a remarkable capacity to store
arcane energy for long periods of time, and is frequently used
to maintain power in arcane devices. A pale translucent blue,
the crystal takes on a purplish color when charged, and
peering into it will reveal arcing electrical bolts.
Elegite armor is effective at turning magical energy into a
sort of magical barrier. When damaged by a magic attack,
your armor is considered charged and you gain a +1
bonus to your AC until you finish a long rest. In addition,
you may expend this charge to cast shield as a first level
spell, using the armor as a focus. Elegite is rare and time
consuming to work with in large quantities. It costs ten
times as much to purchase. Half plate costs eight times as
much, and full plate costs 9000gp.
PART 2 | MATERIAL
3

Organic material
Trying not to leave the Dex based characters out, but let's be
frank they don't really need anything unless you're a ranger.
There will probably be a bit more down the line but this is all
I've got so far.
Abberant Hide
Crafted from the hides of creatures like beholders,
mindflayers, or other abberations and tanned into a
grotesque leather, abberant hide armor inherits some of the
psionic traits of its former owners. Some claim to hear voices
or sucking sounds, while others claim to know what others
are thinking. Whatever the case, the discerning adventurer
may find the flesh of their freshly killed beholder to be
worth... acquiring.
Abberant hide counts as light armor. Wearing it gives
resistance to psychic damage, telepathy out to 10ft, and
advantage on saving throws against charm effects. It also
reveals the location of the wearer to any abberations
within 30ft as if they had blindsight. Donning the armor
also gives you a form of indefinite madness chosen by
your DM. Armor made from abberant hide costs eight
times as much to make, and a DC 16 Persuasion check to
convince any self respecting craftsman to work with it.
Dragon Bits
Felling a dragon is a feat of great skill and determination, an
almost rite of passage for your archetypical hero, and their
corpses are literally full of valuable bits and pieces that the
less dignified or monetarily blessed have a habit of ripping
and cutting out. The bones, skin, and scales of a dragon are
tough and vaguely magical in nature, and so are perfect for
creating various types of adventuring gear. Use every part,
nothing goes to waste.
Weapons can be created out of the bones of the dragon.
Dragonbone weapons count as +1 magic weapons
(including arrows), and land a critcal hit on a 19-20
oncreatures with the dragon subtype. Additionally,
dragonbone weapons deal an additonal 1d6 of damage on
a critcal hit, the damage type is based on the breath
weapon of the dragon it came from. Dragonbone weapons
cost fifty times as much to make, as it takes many hours
and a smith experienced in shipbuilding to carve the bone
down, and an additional expense to overcome how
magically tough it is.
Leather and studded leather armor can be fashioned out a
dragon's hide. This armor grants a +1 bonus to AC, and
advantage on saving throws against the Frightful Presence
of dragons, as well as a permanent featherfall effect. As a
special action, you may give yourself a fly speed of 60ft for
one round. This property can't be used again until the next
dawn. Armor made this way uses advanced tanning and
leatherworking techniques and tools, costing 150 times as
much to make.
PART 2 | MATERIAL
4
Scale mail armor can be fanshioned out of the draon's
scales. This grants a +1 bonus to AC, (which is 14 + Dex
mod max of 3 since you're spending so much money on
you should have a respectable AC), advantage on saving
throws against the Frightful Presence and breath
weapons of dragons. Additionally, you can focus your
senses to magically discern the distance and direction of
the closest dragon within 30 miles of you. This property
can't be used again until the next dawn. Armor made this
way costs 150 times as much to make.
Splint mail and full plate armor and can fashioned out of
the bones of the dragon as well. Armor made this way
grants a +1 bonus to AC and advantage on saving throws
against the Frightful Presence and Wing Attacks of
dragons, and any contested ability check that a dragon
initiates. As a special reaction to taking damage, any
opponent within 5ft takes 5d6 points of damage. This
damage is typed corresponding with the type of dragon
the bones came from, e.g. fire for gold and red, cold for
silver and white. Once used, this property can't be used
again until the next dawn. Splint mail made of dragon
bone costs 12,000gp, while plate costs 21,000gp.
Shields can be crafted using hide, scales, and bone pieces.
Shields made this way grant an additional +1 bonus to to
AC, as well as advatnage on saving throws against the
Frightful Presence and breath weapons of dragons.
Additonally, the shield grants players a Frightful Presence
of their own with a DC equal to 10 + half the player level
rounded down. For example, a 13th level player's Frightful
Presence will have a DC of 16. This feature does not work
against creatures with the dragon subtype.
All equipment grants resistance to a type of damage that
corresponds with the dragon it came from. E.g. fire for
gold, cold for white, etc etc you guys are smart enough to
figure it out.
Tarrasque Leather
You killed the tarrasque. You win. The tarrasque isn't known
to keep a horde of treasures, or anything but its nigh
insatiable hunger really, so here's your consolation prize.
Totally overpowered armor, that you can get for free because
any self respecting craftsman would be giving up his first
born and wife to get his hands on any piece of the beast he
can.
Tarrasque Leather armor counts as +3 studded leather. It
grants resistance to damage, as well as advantage on all
Intimidation and Persuasion checks. You also regenerate
hitpoints at the start of your turn equal to twice your
constitution modifier, and your move speed increases by
10ft.

Customized Gear
Now, here is something I'm trying to borrow from Pathfinder.
From what I understand, you started with a buttload of
starting gold that you'd use primarliy to customize your
starting loadout with some sweet magically enhanced gear.
Now, if 5e is going to be stubbornly low magic, I see no
reason why a mundane blacksmith can't take custom orders
or rework your weapons (and later armor) to your
specifications. You cannot have more than one enhancement
per part of the weapon.
Blade
Serrated
By introducing teeth or a small wave-like pattern to the
profile of the blade, it can cause more jagged or slightly larger
wounds . For 300gp, whenever you deal maximum weapon
damage on a target with half its remaining HP or less, roll an
additional 1d4. On a critical hit, you automatically roll 2d4 no
matter what their current HP is.
Keen
A keen blade has been specially worked to an incredibly
sharp edge, then magically enchanted to maintain said edge
and always get perfect alignment in a cut. For 800gp, a
blacksmith and a mage can work together to expand your
critical hit range by 1 (19-20 by default).
Light
Plain and simple, the blacksmith can rework the blade to
create a lighter version of your weapon, while maintaining a
good center of gravity. For 150gp, your weapon gains the light
property.
Dueling
A weapon made for a swordsman who prefers to fight his
foes one at a time, a duelists weapon has a balance ideal and
custom worked to the wielder, with a custom built and fitted
hand amd cross guard . When the wielder is only holding one
weapon, they can gain a +1 bonus to their AC as a reaction.
This can stack with any feats that allow them to do the same.
It costs 100gp, mostly for the time spend working directly
with the person buying it.
OVERSIZED
And oversized blade is exactly what it says on the tin. It's
entirely too goddamn big, but some adventurers need to
compensate for something so some armorers get custom
orders for huge blades. For 4x the cost of the regular weapon,
it gains reach, however, on a 1-5 on the d20 you lose your grip
on the weapon and fling itup to 30ft away
Blunt
Savage
A savage weapon is eeeeeeeeeehhhhhhhhhhh +1 to crit
range (19-20 by default) 800gp.
Thrown
By balancing the head of the weapon properly and added
some counter weight to the handle or shaft, the weapon can
gain the thrown property. Costs 100gp
Heavy
Heavy
Addeding in some extra weight to the business end of the
weapon can do a lot to upset the balance of your opponents.
Dealing max damage with a weapon enhanced this way can
knock your opponent prone. Prone enemies take an
additional 1d4 points of damage when hit with this weapon.
300gp + 2lbs for one handed and 4lbs for two-handed.
Crushing
These weapons are specifically deisgned to ruin the armor of
your unfortunate foes. Whenever you roll max damage on a
weapon attack against an enemies wearing breastplate,
halfplate, splint, or full plate; reduce their AC by one. This
effect will stack and costs 400gp
Shattering
Installing strategically placed points on the weapon, its
effectiveness at cracking bones can be increased. On a critical
hit, the target is stunned until it's next turn, from the pain of
having one if its bones broken. Yes, you can fight with broken
bones, it just really fudging hurts.
Firearm
Bayonetted
A bayonetted firearm can be used as a Strength based melee
weapon. A one-handed firearm with a bayonet deals 1d6
piercing damage, a two-handed firearm deals 1d8. 75gp.
High Caliber
A high caliber weapon increases the damage die for firearms
up one size (d10 to d12 ,or in the case of a 1d12 changes to
3d6). However, this adds 2 to the misfire score, and a misfire
breaks the gun. Since most of firearm ammo is player crafted,
this does not change the Tinker DC.
Low Caliber
By decreasing the blackpoweder load, you increase the
stability at decreased potency. You lower the damage die and
misfire scores by one, making a d12 a d10 and so on. This
can lower the misfire score to 0. This does not change the
Tinker DC
Weapon Specific
Injector (Dagger)
For the professional assassin or dirty fighter, an advanced
hyperdermic system can be put into the dagger or your
choice, and the inside of the hilt can hold up to three doses of
one kind of poison, potion, alchemical substance, etc. On a
hit, you can expend one of the doses to apply it to the target
immediately. This is some shady black market stuff right
here, most blacksmiths won't have any part in it, and those
that will charge somewhere in the ballpark of 500gp.
Parrying Dagger
A dagger more designed to parry and guard, it loses the
thrown property and grants a +1 bonus to AC, but loses the
ability to deal extra damage with a critical hit or use the
rogue's Sneak Attack feature, and it loses the thrown
property. This will cost 75gp
PART 3 | CUSTOM GEAR
5
 Barbed (whip)
By incorporating small blades into the whip, the damage die
for the whip increases from 1d4 to 1d6. This will cost 25gp
Hooked(Axes)
Lengthening the head of the axe and exaggerating the curve,
the axes almost gain a hooked shape to them. You can use
your attack to attempt to remove a shield or weapon from the
hands of your target, or grapple them. This will cost 50gp, the
work is easy enough to do.
Spiked Pommel (Two-handed
By adding a small spike to the bottom of your weapon, you
can use it as a weapon when you get up close and personal.
As a bonus action, you can make a single melee attack with
disadvantage. This attack deals 1d4 piercing damage. 50gp
Buckler (Shield)
A buckler is a much smaller shield strapped to the arm. It
only grants a +1 bonus to AC, but allows bows, crossbows,
and dual wielded weapons to be used, losing your proficiency
bonus in the process (maybe with disadvantage). 10gp
Tower Shield
This massive bullwark of a shield grants +3 to AC, but gives
disadvantage on all Dexterity checks. It also requires 15
Strength to wield. As a bonus action, you can brace yourself
against the shield to grant yourself 3/4 cover until your next
turn. Costs 20gp
Basher (Shield)
A Bashing shield is a shield reinforced and ringed with
pressure studs or small spikes that is more effective as a
melee weapon than a regular shield. A bashing buckler deals
1d4, a standard shield 1d6, and a tower deals 1d8. Outfitting a
shield for bashing requires 100 gp. You may treat it as an off-
hand weapon for the purposes of dual wielding. (You may use
it as a bonus action attack, you don't add your ability modifier
unless you have ability that specifically says you do, etc)
Universal
Custom Hilt
A custom hilt encorporates hand measurements,
handguards, straps, etc, to ensure a sure, comfortable grip in
the hand. This lets you add your proficiency on checks made
to keep a hold of your weapon. The work is easy, only about
50gp.
Silvered
Intricate silver inlay and alchemically binding the silver to the
steel lets it overcome damage resistance as though it it were
magical. 100gp for the material components and the labor.
Silver for monsters.
Masterwork
PART 3 | CUSTOM GEAR
6
Masterwork
A piece of masterwork equipment is as much a tool as an
amazing work of art. It is the pinnacle of craftsmanship,
enough to be considered for a museum piece. Only the most
experienced and skilled craftsmen are capable of making
such a piece, and they labor on it alone for months at a time,
never quite agreeing that its good enough, custom tailored to
its wielder and decorated with personalized motifs. For 20x
the cost of the steel version of the weapon, it gains a +1
bonus to attack and damage rolls if it's a weapon. If it's armor,
it gains a +1 bonus to AC, weighs 20% less, and doesn't the
Strength requirement to wear decreases by 1 . It will never
rust as long as the owner spends a few minutes during a
short rest caring for it. Finding a smith skilled enough to be
able to do this may be a journey in and of itself.
Enchanted
Finding a mage willing to spend hours of their time recasting
the same old spells into a piece of equipment, or pour arcane
energy into it for hours on end isn't an easy task, but not
impossible. The price however, may not be accessible to
everyone.
Rough Idea of Pricing
Enchantment Level Cost Time
+1/ Uncommon 500gp 1 Week
+2/ Rare 4,000gp 4 Weeks
+3/ Very Rare 20,000gp 8 Weeks
Legendary 50,000 16 Weeks
Keep in mind, finding a mage capable of casting into a
weapon to make it even to +2 quality is rather difficult, and it
would take an Epic level wizard to create an item of
Legendary rarity.
And that's all I've got thus far.