Questions tagged [attunement]

For questions about the attunement mechanic in D&D 5th edition and related RPGs. Attunement involves a character forming a bond with a magic item before the character is able to use it. This tag is for questions that relate to this mechanic and its application at the table. (See also: the [magic-items] tag.)

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Player charmed by Orb of Dragonkind: what can be done?

I have a player that has attuned to an Orb of Dragonkind and failed the check to avoid being charmed by it. This part of the item applies (emphasis mine): While attuned to an orb, you can use an ...
Timst's user avatar
  • 271
7 votes
1 answer
561 views

Swapping attuned magic items in one short rest

Can you deattune to an item and attune to a new item in the same short rest? So if my character already has 3 attuned items, can they swap out one of these items with another magical item in a single ...
Thom Deleon's user avatar
5 votes
0 answers
99 views

Can you force a target to lose attunement to magic items? [duplicate]

This is a theory crafting exercise, answerable from a PC's or DM's perspective: Is there a strategic or tactical way to force a player or other NPC to lose their attunement to a magical item using ...
Play Patrice's user avatar
  • 4,870
1 vote
2 answers
422 views

How many attunement slots do the Teeth of Dahlver-Nar use?

How many attunement slots do the Teeth of Dahlver-Nar use? Is it one attunement slot per tooth, or one attunement slot for all of the teeth?
Cellheim's user avatar
  • 2,100
2 votes
2 answers
501 views

How does the Shadowsong bow deviate from the attunement standards?

Original Item There is an adventure from the 3rd season of Dungeons and Dragons Expeditions called DDEX03-07 Herald of the Moon. It awards a very rare longbow as the main quest reward, called ...
DCShannon's user avatar
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5 votes
1 answer
2k views

Would an item that provided an extra attunement slot be unbalanced?

I am PC in a extremely high magic campaign. I am a level five character, and I have already used up all three of my attunement slots. My DM is fine with homebrew. My question is would a magic item ...
Consus's user avatar
  • 1,097
7 votes
3 answers
460 views

How does allowing or disallowing simulacra to attune to magic items separately from their creators affect game play?

This question proposes that by RAW a simulacrum can attune independently from its creator. In Adventurers League, a simulacrum cannot attune to items independently from its creator, see this question. ...
Jack's user avatar
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15 votes
8 answers
2k views

Can you determine the order of "at the end of a short rest" effects?

Example when being able to determine that order matters: periapt of wound closure, an attunement item that benefits spending hit dice. Picture the following scenario: The party is beat-up after a few ...
vonBoomslang's user avatar
  • 7,840
20 votes
1 answer
6k views

Can you break somebody else's attunement on a magic item?

My players stole a magic item from a Dragon's Hoard but the dragon is still alive and attuned to it. Is there any way for the players to break the dragon's attunement?
Ayebrow's user avatar
  • 507
14 votes
1 answer
1k views

Does a wizard need to attune to the magical spellbooks in Tasha's Cauldron of Everything in order to use them as spellbooks?

The wizard at my table does not have any available attunement slots and just discovered an Alchemical Compendium. We are trying to determine if he could use the spellbook only for the spells contained ...
Jupiter_Stratus's user avatar
4 votes
2 answers
402 views

Can a Hat of Wizardry be reused by different people attuning?

Say I have a Hat of Wizardry. It allows me to try to cast a cantrip once per long rest. If I use this power and fail my Arcana check (or succeed - it doesn't matter for this), can a friend attune to ...
Phoenices's user avatar
  • 1,893
-3 votes
1 answer
617 views

Can many creatures attune to an item at once?

Can multiple creatures attune to the same magic item at a time? Ignore issues with attuning to a weapon - assume this is an item that can be attuned to with meditation. Anyway, if one creature is ...
Phoenices's user avatar
  • 1,893
7 votes
1 answer
3k views

What happens when two characters attune to the same magic item? [duplicate]

Suppose I have an item that requires attunement, and my character has done so. If another party member (or someone else) acquires that item, can they attune it if the original character hasn't "...
railsdog's user avatar
  • 651
8 votes
1 answer
576 views

Can my servants sneakily attune to an enemy's weapon?

I, as a Proper Villain, have acquired minions. These minions are known as Noodle Bugs, tiny, stealthy creatures that look like rotini noodles. The possibilities are endless! They can use my magic ...
Phoenices's user avatar
  • 1,893
7 votes
3 answers
2k views

Can my helpers reuse a Crystal Ball repeatedly?

The Crystal Ball has very little text - it requires attunement, and anyone attuned can cast Scrying with a set DC while touching it. Obviously, this has limitations, such as when Scrying fails, you ...
Phoenices's user avatar
  • 1,893
8 votes
3 answers
2k views

What happens when you are not attuned to the Berserker Axe and you take damage while wielding it?

So the scenario is that I have a barbarian who's just picked up a Berserker Axe, without knowing what it is. They have NOT attuned to it. From my reading, they get the +1 bonus to attack and damage ...
Mia's user avatar
  • 89
8 votes
1 answer
412 views

Rotate between multiple Rods of the Pact Keeper?

I know you can't attune to 2 items of the same name. This question is more about the other effect of Rod of the Pact Keeper that lets you restore a spell slot once per long rest. If I have 2 Rods of ...
Virilikus's user avatar
5 votes
1 answer
295 views

Elfshadows and attuned items

So I'm aware that creatures can attune to items. Familiars and the like are great options for having attuned items being used when your slots are full. My character got a moonblade with the elfshadow ...
Aquifn's user avatar
  • 371
4 votes
1 answer
762 views

Do you have to be attuned to a Luck Blade to use its Luck feature?

The description of Luck Blade (DMG p179) says: Luck. If the sword is on your person, you can call on its luck (no action required) to reroll one Attack roll, ability check, or saving throw you ...
Sam Lacrumb's user avatar
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6 votes
1 answer
490 views

Can I identify and learn the properties of a magic item that I can't attune to without using the identify spell?

If I have an item I can't attune to, (e.g. a Dwarvern Thrower for a non dwarf or a robe of the Archmagi if I'm not a Spellcaster): can I still find out what it is after a short rest? I am not asking ...
James Wilson's user avatar
6 votes
1 answer
2k views

Does the Gulthias Staff have inherent powers that function regardless of attunement?

In Curse of Strahd, there is a magic item known as the Gulthias Staff, found on page 221. It says it requires attunement; however, two features of the staff seem more inherent. Both are in the main ...
One Eye's user avatar
  • 1,084
8 votes
1 answer
4k views

Does the Blood Spear require attunement to gain the +2 bonus to attack and damage rolls?

In the Curse of Strahd, there is a magic item known as the Blood Spear. On page 221, it says it requires attunement and when you hit with a melee attack and reduce the HP of the creature to 0, the ...
One Eye's user avatar
  • 1,084
30 votes
5 answers
3k views

Does Polymorph break attunements with prerequisites?

Some magic items have prerequisites for attunement, most commonly requiring a specific race, class, or alignment. According to the rules on attunement: A creature's attunement to an item ends if the ...
smbailey's user avatar
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7 votes
3 answers
6k views

Ersatz Eye, why attune?

The ersatz eye from Xanathar's Guide to Everything (p. 137) seems to me as (almost) an entirely cosmetic item. It would seem to that the loss of an eye is a storytelling option, and the choice to ...
Michael Richardson's user avatar
7 votes
1 answer
4k views

Are there any ways to increase the number of items I can attune to without being an Artificer?

The problem is quite simple: I want to attune to four or more magical items at once, and I don't want to take ten levels in Artificer (the rules for attunement permit a maximum of three attuned items)....
Thomas Markov's user avatar
6 votes
1 answer
1k views

Does an artificer's teammate have to re-attune to their infused items every time the infusions change?

Per the artificer rules... If the item requires attunement, you can attune yourself to it the instant you infuse the item. Okay. Nice. Great. Except... how does it work when the item is given to ...
vonBoomslang's user avatar
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12 votes
4 answers
2k views

Can rings be worn on toes? [duplicate]

If you are attuning to a magical ring the DMG magic item categories states: Magic rings offer an amazing array of powers to those lucky enough to find them. Unless a ring’s description says ...
EMTGO's user avatar
  • 2,785
8 votes
2 answers
4k views

Do cursed items require attunement in order to curse you?

Most cursed items, like the Armor of Vulnerability, require to you attune to them in order to become cursed. Curse. This armor is cursed, a fact that is revealed only when an identify spell is cast ...
Codex's user avatar
  • 394
4 votes
2 answers
3k views

Can undead created by Animate Dead use magic wands?

One of my players learned the Animate Dead spell. He asked me if he could equip his zombies and skeletons with weapons (Which is possible) or wands. I'm pretty sure that undead can't use any magic ...
CKA's user avatar
  • 770
9 votes
1 answer
2k views

Can I give my familiar a magical tattoo?

My Familiar is a creature. Magical Tattoos go on creatures; can I apply one to my familliar? Once inscribed on a creature’s body, damage or injury doesn’t impair the tattoo’s function, even if the ...
AncientSwordRage's user avatar
1 vote
0 answers
187 views

Can a tamed owl cast spells from Ring of spell storing? [duplicate]

In a campaign I'm currently in, I want to give my owl that I tamed (the DM allows taming wild animals) a ring of spell storing so it can cast spells. However, before I do so, I wanted to ask: Is there ...
Jack Kuni's user avatar
-1 votes
2 answers
734 views

Under what conditions can a ghost possessing a creature attune to a magic item?

A ghost can possess people ('humanoids'). It can also go onto the Border Ethereal, phasing between two planes of existence. This means its interaction with physical objects varies based on where it ...
Timm Jimm Grimm's user avatar
5 votes
2 answers
312 views

How can I handle attunement for timebounded adventures that might not have short rests?

I will be running Strahd Must Die Tonight!, a timed, one-shot adventure for D&D 5e. In previous games of it, due to the real and in-game time constraints and lack of short rests, I have handwaved ...
StuperUser's user avatar
  • 9,988
2 votes
1 answer
539 views

What does the attuned creature know about the Shield of the Hidden Lord?

The DMG states that all properties of a magic item are known to the attuned creature, or a creature that spends a short rest analyzing it, but what about the Shield of the Hidden Lord? Some properties ...
hostileeldritch's user avatar
4 votes
1 answer
2k views

Can an artificer’s Homunculus Servant use an animated shield?

I'm playing an artificer that recently took the infusion for a Homunculus Servant. The party has an extra animated shield. I think the following is acceptable, but I wanted to see if I got it wrong ...
Aquifn's user avatar
  • 371
10 votes
1 answer
522 views

Can a person attuned to Living Gloves cast Remove Curse on themselves to remove them?

The living gloves (E:RftLW, pg. 278) have the feature Symbiotic Nature: The gloves can’t be removed from you while you’re attuned to them, and you can’t voluntarily end your attunement to them. If ...
Thomas Markov's user avatar
9 votes
1 answer
868 views

Can the Feign Death spell remove attunement from a cursed item?

When a creature dies, their attunement to any magic items (including cursed items) ends. Will the feign death spell (PHB, p. 240) trick the curse into ending early? You touch a willing creature and ...
Sam Lacrumb's user avatar
  • 10.9k
12 votes
1 answer
2k views

Do the attunement requirements of the Hammer of Thunderbolts make it situational?

The properties of the hammer of thunderbolts seem to suggest to me that (for the vast majority of the time) the player owning this item will not have it attuned. How do you rule on the current ...
JonSG's user avatar
  • 226
12 votes
2 answers
1k views

Does the Thief rogue's Use Magic Device feature let them ignore class, race, and level requirements on attuning to magic items?

The Artificer's Magic Item Savant feature states (E:RftLW p. 58, WGtE p. 180; emphasis mine): [...] You ignore all class, race, spell, and level requirements on attuning to or using magic items. ...
user63840's user avatar
  • 133
15 votes
3 answers
622 views

Wild Magic Resonance - can two sorcerers and two rings of spell storing guarantee a wild magic surge?

While reviewing this related question, I think that a sorcerer's Wild Magic Surge, which has a chance to be triggered when a sorcerer casts a spell, can be forced. Looking at how the ring of spell ...
KorvinStarmast's user avatar
7 votes
2 answers
2k views

What happens when you attack with a non-attuned cursed weapon?

Cursed weapons often have a flat bonus such as a +1 associated with them, however the negative effects of a cursed weapon tend to only be associated with being attuned to said item. Could a player (...
Max Colledge's user avatar
  • 1,225
9 votes
1 answer
631 views

If my Simulacrum possesses me via Magic Jar, to whom will my magic items attune?

I have a high level Arcana Cleric/Wizard. Using wish to create a simulacrum, I can have a body double. Since I also took magic jar, my copy knows it, too. I wanted to know what would happen if I ...
user avatar
12 votes
1 answer
7k views

How does attunement work?

I would like to use the Gauntlets of Ogre Power, which states that the item "requires attunement". What am I supposed to attune it with? What are the requisites/requirements?
Adriano's user avatar
  • 265
-1 votes
2 answers
901 views

Can a magic item require attunement twice?

Can an item require attunement twice to be used? NOTE: This question is a revisit of an existing question: Can an armblade require double attunement if it integrates a magic weapon that normally ...
Smart_TJ's user avatar
  • 6,504
20 votes
1 answer
18k views

What happens if you no longer meet the Strength requirement for your armor?

I recently asked about what happens when you lose requirements for an attuned item (here). Now, I have a slightly different but still related question involving the artificer class' 20th-level ability,...
Smart_TJ's user avatar
  • 6,504
17 votes
1 answer
3k views

What happens if one no longer meets the requirements for an attuned item?

So, I have a question that's sort of a what-if situation that applies to many different situations, but what happens if the requirements to attune to an item are lost while that item is attuned to you?...
Smart_TJ's user avatar
  • 6,504
0 votes
0 answers
68 views

Is there anything in the rules that say a familiar can attune to magic items? [duplicate]

Is there anything in the rules that say a familiar can attune to magic items? I've seen lots of questions about if familiars can attune to items and the community seems to agree on that they can. ...
Samara Markcosian's user avatar
12 votes
2 answers
3k views

How do the Prosthetic Limb and Wand Sheath magic items interact with the artificer's Soul of Artifice capstone feature?

A player playing an artificer thought of an interesting interaction between the Prosthetic Limb or Wand Sheath magic items and the Artificer's capstone feature Soul of Artifice. The Prosthetic Limb (...
KingPiggyXXI's user avatar
8 votes
1 answer
2k views

What requirements does the Artificer's Magic Item Savant feature ignore?

The Artificer's Magic Item Savant feature (E:RftLW, p. 58; WGtE, p. 180) states: [...] You ignore all class, race, spell, and level requirements on attuning to or using magic items. Class and race ...
Exempt-Medic's user avatar
  • 75.6k
15 votes
2 answers
8k views

How permanent are these changes to a PC when they attune to this weapon in Descent into Avernus?

In Baldur's Gate: Descent Into Avernus, on pages 226-227, the is described. The weapon is listed as a and has the following property (given a bold italics header): Briefly, these traits include (...
NathanS's user avatar
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