While most Dungeons & Dragons parties are typically made up of good and neutral characters, it can be a fun change of pace when an evil character is incorporated into a party. Players can even form an entirely evil party if they want to, which can bring out a completely new style of DnD narrative. While there are many magical items in Dungeons & Dragons that feel naturally suited to neutral and good characters, it can be a bit harder to find the right pieces that are right for an evil person or party.
Although it can be difficult to stop evil DnD parties from killing each other, that doesn't mean that the properly planned evil character or group doesn't have its place. While there are many things players can do backstory-wise to enhance everyone's enjoyment of an evil-aligned character, there are also many magical items players can use to make them seem scarier or to simply enhance their narrative.
Book Of Vile Darkness Is Extreme D&D Evil
The Book of Vile Darkness is a large undertaking for any character but can fit in perfectly with the right evil one. It's a manuscript of unspeakable horror and great power, causing plants to wilt and eventually destroying any surface it sits on for too long. Alongside having random properties - three minor and one major beneficial properties and three minor and two major detrimental ones - the book also has a strong effect on its owner perfect for playing the evil character in a DnD party. Over time, the book also disfigures its user somehow, usually left up to the DM, which can really enhance character building.
After being attuned to it with 80 hours of study, players will both raise and lower an ability score of their choice by two and doubles proficiency on Intelligence checks for evil subjects. While holding the book, players will be able to cast Dominate Monster and read from it in Dark Speech, which does 3d6 psychic damage against non-evil creatures within 15 feet; although the player will also take 1d12 psychic damage. Fittingly, if a player dies while attuned to the book, their soul is claimed by an evil entity, offering unique narrative opportunities even in death.
Cloak Of Arachnida Is Creepy Fun For Evil D&D Characters
A spider-related garment just feels right for an evil Dungeons & Dragons character, and the Cloak of Arachnida is a sleek, black silk piece with special benefits, making for an interesting way to be evil in DnD without constant killing. Perfect for any party's resident villain, the cloak is a combination of useful and creepy, allowing players the ability to move across vertical surfaces and ceilings hands-free with a speed equal to their walking speed, as well as giving them poison resistance.
Players with this cloak also can't be caught in webs and can make them themselves with the Web spell in twice the normal size once a day. So although not necessarily evil, the Cloak of Arachnida imbues creepy enough powers that fit perfectly with a more malevolent playstyle.
Evil D&D Characters Will Love The Hand & Eye Of Vecna
Although the Hand and Eye of Vecna the arch-lich can be found separately, they often come as a package deal that is perfect for evil characters. Both have to be attuned to in a disturbing fashion, necessitating players cut off their hand and gouge out an eye in order to use them, and afterward if either is removed the character will die. The perfect addition to an evil-aligned DnD character build, each comes with one minor and one major beneficial property as well as one minor detrimental one, and each body part will convert the user to neutral evil if they aren't already aligned that way.
By themselves, both the Hand and Eye of Vecna come with distinct abilities. The Eye offers truesight and can function as a Ring of X-Ray Vision does, and comes with eight charges - which can be regained at dawn - for the spells Clairvoyance, Crown of Madness, Disintegrate, Dominate Monster, or Eyebite. Each time a spell is cast there's a five percent chance Vecna will tear the player's soul from their body and devour it, turning them into a DM-controlled NPC, adding a balance to the power given and hopefully making the character wield it with more complexity and thought than a Dungeons & Dragons murder hobo.
Similarly, the Hand will increase a character's strength to 20 and make them deal an additional 2d8 cold damage on their hits. The Hand also offers eight charges, this time for the spells Finger of Death, Sleep, Slow, or Teleport. When a spell is cast with the Hand in DnD, it in turn casts suggestion on the player, demanding they commit an act of evil. The Hand and Eye of Vecna together come with extra properties, perhaps the most evil of which is the potential for players to turn another creature's bones into jelly, a great demonstration of why DnD's Vecna is so feared and popular.
Talisman Of Ultimate Evil Is A No-Brainer For D&D Villains
As its name implies, the Talisman of Ultimate Evil is the perfect accessory for evil-aligned characters. It will severely damage any non-evil character who comes into contact with it, particularly those with a good alignment. For evil paladins and clerics, it can be used as a holy symbol, offering a +2 bonus to spell attack rolls. However, the talisman can be enjoyed by an evil character, containing six charges which can be used to open a flaming fissure beneath good-aligned creatures with a hefty DC of 20 required to avoid it.
If they fail, the creature will fall into the fissure and be permanently destroyed, giving wielders of the Talisman of Ultimate Evil great power. However, this is balanced by the fact it only has six charges, and in true evil fashion will dissolve into slime after its final use. This makes it a great reward for DMs running an evil Dungeons & Dragons campaign to dole out when players have accomplished something major, as it will only serve to get them out of a jam a handful of times while adding great evil flavor to the character it's bestowed upon.
It can feel challenging at first to balance a Dungeons & Dragons party with one or multiple evil characters, but there are plenty of ways to build a narrative around the darker alignment. This is of course partially done through the DM's storytelling itself, but magical items can be a great way to enhance things even more. Although some of these items are incredibly powerful, they can all fit in well with an evil Dungeons & Dragons character in some way.
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