Magic items are one of the most fun parts of playing any fantasy tabletop roleplaying game. These range from classic wands and staves to potions to rings, headbands, and capes. Pathfinder first edition has such a wide range of magic items that when your GM rolls for what you can find in your present location you may stumble across something you’ve never heard of before even if you consider yourself an experienced player.

As there are so many different items I could easily make a top twenty list for any individual category. Here I’m going to show you a selection of wondrous items, staves, rods, and rings. They will all be specific items which do more than simply hold a particular spell just to keep things interesting.

 

20. Stat-boosting belts and headbands

A giant belt to grant Giant's Strength

We’re going to start with some wondrous items and what better than the ones which boost your important stats? There are several which do this but I’m going to lump them all in one for ease. All stat enhancing items come in a +2, +4, and +6 version, each enhancing the specified stat’s score by that amount. They all get very expensive but are absolutely worth the cost.

For your physical stats there’s the belt of giant strength, belt of incredible dexterity, and belt of mighty constitution. If you want multiple stats enhancing there’s the belt of physical might which can improve two of your physical stats by the aforementioned amounts or the incredibly expensive belt of physical perfection.

For your mental stats, which are important for spellcasters, there’s the headband of vast intelligence, headband of alluring charisma, and the headband of inspired wisdom. There’s the headband of mental prowess to improve two mental stats and the headband of mental superiority for all three.

Why the headbands and belts are great:

• Improves the thing you’re good at. It’s that simple. Pick the relevant items for your key stats and you become better at doing the thing your class is good at. But I’ll go through them one by one
• Belt of giant strength: A welcome buff for any strength build. Hit more easily and harder. Improves your CMB too if you enjoy doing those. Increase to climb and swim too if you ever actually roll those
• Belt of incredible dexterity: If you’re a dex build then this also helps you hit more easily and harder if you have dex to damage. Essential for any rogue and especially cheap as dex if all you really need. Increases your AC too.
• Belt of mighty constitution: Extra hitpoints and a bonus to fortitude saves which is always nice. This is rarely going to be your first pick as most martial classes want either strength or dexterity but this is good for kineticists by giving them more health, allowing them to take more points of burn when they need it. Useful for raging classes too like barbarian, bloodrager, and skald as it lets you soak up more damage but really you’re going to want this and strength
• Belt of physical might: Why not combine two? Rogues take dexterity and constitution. Most martial casters are going to be pretty happy with strength and constitution too, but dex can be a good pick if you’re making a lot of ranged touch attacks
• Belt of physical perfection: Three for one! Very expensive so I don’t generally recommend for every class as your money is best spent elsewhere. Very good for fighter if you can afford it on top of your magic weapons and armour as at higher levels fighter can use more dexterity even in heavy armour
• Headband of vast intelligence: Perfect for any intelligence caster like wizard or magus. Increase your DCs and potentially cast more spells. Buff to int based skills too
• What’s also worth noting is that the headband of vast intelligence also grants you one skill rank per level for one knowledge skill. If you make it yourself or have it commissioned you can choose which knowledge skill you want maxed out. But if you find one then the skill is randomly rolled, though having any knowledge maxed out for free is never bad. Especially if you have a nice GM who lets you redistribute any ranks you already had in that skill for free. Each improved version grants you extra an extra knowledge skill
• Headband of inspired wisdom: Same again for wisdom casters. Higher DCs, potentially more spells but this also gives you a bonus to will saves
• Headband of alluring charisma: Same again for charisma casters. Higher DCs, potentially more spells. Plus you’re better at social stats too.
• Headband of mental prowess: Not that useful for many classes but worth grabbing if you need it. If a wizard or sorcerer can afford it, getting a bonus to your casting stat as well as wisdom is a shout to protect you against will saves. Grants you the extra skill ranks from vast intelligence too
• Headband of mental superiority: Completely unnecessary as cool as it would be to have a +6 to all mental stats you just don’t need it. If you find one then great but stick with what you need and spend your money elsewhere

How to make stat enhancing items:

• Cost for a single stat: 2000gp (+2), 8000 (+4), 18000 (+6)
• Cost for two stats: 5000gp (+2), 20,000 (+4), 45,000 (+6)
• Cost for three stats: 8000gp (+2), 32,000 (+4), 77,000 (+6)
• Spells: Bull’s strength, cat’s grace, bear’s endurance
• Feats: Craft wondrous item

Stat improving items Stats:

• +2, +4, or +6 to a physical or mental stat of your choice
• Improved versions let you pick two physical or mental stats
• Best versions give you all physical or mental stats
• Slot: Belt for physical stats, headband for mental
• Price for a single stat (gp): 4,000 (+2), 16,000 (+4), 36,000 (+6)
• Price for two stats (gp): 10,000 (+2), 40,000 (+4), 90,000  (+6)
• Price for three stats (gp): 16,000 (+2), 64,000 (+4), 144,000 (+6)

 

19. Cloak of Resistance

A well weathered cloak of resistance

I swear the next one will be something more interesting but cloaks of resistance are too good to pass up in most cases. They range from a +1 to a +5 to all saving throws. This becomes especially important at higher levels where you’re going to have more save or suck (or worse) spells thrown at you. There’s little worse than sitting through an encounter waiting for your character to be able to do something.

Why the cloak of resistance is great:

• Bonus to all saves helps prevent you from getting held in place, taken control of, reduce or negative damage
• Buffs your good saves while compensating for your bad ones all in one go
• Surprisingly cheap, ranging from 1000gp all the way up to 25000gp to buy. Half if a party member can make them
• Thanks to this low price they can be made quickly. At higher levels once you have a high spellcraft check you can afford to add +5 to the DC to let you do up to 2000gp of work in eight hours
• The only spell requirement is a cantrip so you can make these as soon as you take the feat

Cloak of resistance build requirements:

• Cost (gp): 500 (+1), 2,000 (+2), 4,500 (+3), 8,000 (+4), 12,500 (+5)
• Feats: Craft wondrous item
• Spells: Resistance
• Special: The creator’s caster level needs to be at least three times the cloak’s bonus. E.g., A +1 cloak requires a third level caster, +2 a third level caster, and so on

Cloak of resistance stats:

• From a +1 to +5 to all saving throws
• CL: 5th
• Cost (gp): 1,000 (+1), 4,000 (+2), 9,000 (+3), 16,000 (+4), 25,000 (+5)
• Slot: Shoulders
• Aura: Faint abjuration
• Weight: 1lb

 

18. Robe of Arcane Heritage

An illusive mage dressed in his best robes

This item is specific only to sorcerers but it’s an absolute must have for anybody playing this class. By donning this robe, a sorcerer gets to treat their class level as being four higher for the purposes of their bloodline powers. This means they get their next four levels of powers early and get to treat those powers as if they were that level. Do note that this does not grant you extra bloodline spells or feats. Those you can only get by actually being that level

For example, I am currently playing a kobold sorcerer who is 12th level and has the draconic bloodline. By wearing the robes of arcane heritage I get to treat my sorcerer level as 16th for the purposes of bloodline powers. This increases my natural armour from the dragon resistances power to +4 which I wouldn’t normally get until 15th level. It also increases the damage of my breath weapon for 12d6 to 16d6. Furthermore, it even grants me the 15th level bloodline power, wings, giving me a fly speed without the need to actually cast fly.

Why robes of arcane heritage are great:

• Amazing all the way up until you get your final bloodline powers and they’ve all capped out
• While it only works on the sorcerer class, even though others can get a bloodline, you can use this if you plan to use sorcerer to meet the requirements for a prestige class such as arcane trickster or eldritch knight. Compensate for your lower sorcerer level by grabbing this cloak and getting more bloodline powers
• Surprisingly affordable for what it does, making it a great pick around level 10. Research bloodlines and find something that this is gonna make super potent

Robes of arcane heritage build requirements:

• Cost: 8000gp
• Feats: Craft wondrous item
• Spells: Speak with dead
• Special: Only sorcerers can make it

Robes of arcane heritage stats:

• +4 sorcerer level for the purposes of determining granted bloodline powers and their effects
• CL: 9th
• Cost: 16000gp
• Slot: Body
• Aura: Moderate necromancy
• Weight: 1lb

 

17. Otherworldly Kimono

Another mage in all her finery

Here we have another pricey item, though there are much more expensive ones out there, but this one is also useful to any spellcaster rather than just sorcerers. The otherworldly kimono grants a +4 resistance bonus to all saving throws as well as a +4 to caster level checks.

The otherworldly kimono’s main ability, however, is its ability to draw in a target once per day. This functionals similarly to the spell maze. The target gets no save and must pass a DC20 intelligence check to escape. If they do not pass this check they are released after ten minutes.

While a creature is trapped inside, the kimono’s bonuses are increased by +2 and return to normal once the creature has left.

What makes the otherworldly kimono great:

The +4 resistance bonus to saving throws doesn’t stack with cloaks of resistance but at this bonus that doesn’t really matter. In fact it makes the kimono awesome because it frees up your shoulder slots for something else as the otherworldly kimono is a body slot

+4 to caster level checks is great as it helps overcome spell resistance. Stick this on a spellcaster and your spells are more likely to do full damage. Very helpful for magi’s touch spells

Maze is a great spell thanks to giving the affected creature no save to being drawn in. Take an annoying enemy out of the fight for up to ten minutes. If you get lucky they might not escape until after everybody else is dead and your party can then throw everything else they have at them

A DC20 intelligence check means anything without a penalty to intelligence technically has an opportunity to escape but even more intelligent foes are going to struggle to pass it. 

60ft range means this works even on squishy casters who aren’t going to be on the front lines. Stand back and if there’s an annoyance on the battlefield (like another caster) you don’t have to get very close to get rid of them for a while. Only other way to escape is planes shift

Interestingly, the only downside to being in the maze is that you’re taken out of the fight. You’re actually very safe there. If the enemy goes for your familiar you can always tuck them in there to keep them safe, though you will lose the benefits of having the familiar while they are in there. Better than them getting killed though

Another option thanks to the maze being effectively harmless is to keep your party members safe should they get too close to death. If you’re out of potions and the cleric is out of channel energies, the wizard can always grab the nearly dead fighter and keep them safe. They don’t have to make their checks and can stay there until the fight is over and they can start rolling their intelligence checks. Sucks to be taken out of the fight but still better than forking out for a resurrection spell.

Otherworldly kimono build requirements:

• Cost: 33,500gp
• Feats: Craft wondrous item, heighten spell
• Spells: Maze, resistance

Otherworldly kimono stats:

• +4 resistance bonus to all saving throws
• +4 to caster level checks
• CL: 15th
• Cost: 67,000gp
• Slot: Body
• Aura: Strong conjuration
• Weight: 1lb

 

16. Stat-boosting Tomes and Manuals

An ancient and powerful tome

To round off on the wondrous items I’ll be covering the books which grant an inherent bonus to stats. I know I already covered other stat enhancing items earlier but I know these are the kind of thing somebody is going to bring up if I don’t mention and I’m only covering five wondrous items to lend some variety to the list here they are.

You have the manual of bodily health (con), manual of gainful exercise (strength), manual of quickness of action (dex) for your physical stats. Then there’s the tome of clear thought (int), tome of leadership and influence (cha), and the tome of understanding (wis). Each book grants anywhere from a +1 to a +5 inherent bonus to one stat’s score.

Keep in mind, however, that these are much more expensive than the belt counterparts. The +5 books are only slightly cheaper than the belt of physical perfection and headband of mental superiority but absolutely worth it if you get to a stage where you can afford them. You can have up to a +5 inherent bonus which even stacks with the enhancement bonus of the belts and headbands. Unfortunately making these yourself doesn’t provide as much of a discount as normal.

Why the tomes and manuals are great:

• As I pointed out with the belts and headbands, stat boosts are awesome and these let you take them even further. Combine these with the belts and you could potentially be rocking a +5 bonus to your modifier on top of your usual stats. But as I explained, these books are very expensive so you might have to decide how to you want to spend the gold
• While we’re on the topic of pricing, you may have noticed that a +1 tome or manual costs ⅕ of the +5 version, meaning you can spread the cost out throughout a campaign. Nothing in the item description states that you can’t stack five +1 inherent bonuses unless your GM decides otherwise
• Now GMs, these items are also awesome because you could use these to replace the belts and headbands altogether. Something I find a little annoying is that these items are always going to take the belt or headband slot which can get a little boring. There is a ruleset for getting stat bonuses every few levels but if you prefer the magic item route this could be for you. Agree with your players that the belts and headbands aren’t a thing while making the tomes more available and you can offer players other items which are cool but often fall by the wayside because the belts and headbands are so necessary to give your campaign a breath of fresh air
• The tome of clear thought also grants skill ranks because your intelligence has gone up. Unlike the headband of vast intelligence you can distribute these as you like. Awesome for any intelligence based class. Especially magus which doesn’t get all that many to start with

Build requirements:

• Cost (gp): 26,250 (+1), 52,500 (+2), 78,750 (+3), 105,000 (+4), 131,250 (+5)
• Feats: Craft wondrous item
• Spells: Miracle or Wish

Book and manual stats:

• +1 to +5 inherent bonus to a single stat score
• CL: 17th
• Cost (gp): 27,500 (+1), 55,000 (+2), 82,500 (+3), 110,000 (+4), 137,500 (+5)
• Slot: Slotless
• Aura: Strong evocation (if miracle is used)
• Weight: 5lbs

 

15. Staff of the Hierophant

A cleric with his trusty staff

Now onto the staves. There are plenty of them out there so I’m going to be picking the ones with unique powers rather than just staves of a particular spell. First up we have the staff of the hierophant.

All staves have 10 charges but can be recharged with the relevant spells.

Staff of the hierophant, by spending one charge can cast: bless, cure moderate wounds, freedom of movement, hold person (heightened to 5th level), prayer, and searing light. For two charges it can cast cure critical wounds, flame strike, righteous might, and true seeing.

It also counts as a +2/+2 quarterstaff when wielded as a weapon and grants +2 luck bonus to AC and saving throws. Expend an extra charge and it deals x3 damage on a crit for one round.

In a pinch this staff can be used to cast true resurrection should an ally be killed but this is at the cost of losing the staff. Fair trade, especially if you’ve used up all the charges. Then for one day after using this ability you gain +2 luck bonus to attack rolls, saving throws, ability checks, and skill checks.

Why staff of the Hierophant is great:

• A good selection of useful spells which can save spell slots elsewhere
• While the bonus on bless isn’t fantastic at higher levels it does dispel bane if that ever comes up. Helpful to have in your back pocket without needing to prepare bless
• Cure moderate wounds is a decent healing spell in a pinch. Especially considering it has a caster level of 15th giving you 2d8+10 healing
• Freedom of movement is a potentially very useful spell but how often are you going to think to prepare it? This gets around difficult terrain, even if it’s caused by spells like fog or web. You get to attack and move normally plus all grapple attempts against you fail and if you’re already grappled you automatically escape just by making the check. Also helpful if you somehow end up fighting underwater too
• Hold person is a nasty spell, especially with it boosted to fifth level, increasing the DC
• Prayer is a good mass buff for you and your allies while also debuffing enemies with no saving throw. +1 luck bonus to attack, damage, saves, and skill checks for you while applying a -1 to those rolls for your enemy
• Searing light is a pretty good ray spell, allowing you to deal 5d8 damage on a ranged touch attack. D6 for undead but if they’re vulnerable to bright light like vampires then 5d8. Constructs or inanimate objects only get 5d6 but still decent enough damage 
• Cure critical wounds is even better healing for 4d8+15 which can easily save an ally in danger
• Flame strike is another nasty bit of damage for 15d6 fire damage. Reflex save halves it but the spell does note that as it’s directly from a divine source it is not subject to fire resistance
• Righteous might effectively gives you enlarge person as well as DR10 to good or evil depending on what type of energy you can channel
• True seeing does what it says on the tin. You can see in both magical and mundane darkness, overcome effects like blur and displacement, see invisibility, see through illusions, and even see the true shape of polymorphed creatures. You can even see into the ethereal plane. This has a range of 120ft which is incredible.
• Resurrection at the cost of losing the staff. Very likely worth it if getting to a church is going to be a problem or few people can cast it in the world the campaign takes place in
• Nice buffs just by wielding it

Build requirements:

• Cost (gp): 110,000
• Feats: Craft magic arms and armour, craft staff
• Spells: bless, cure critical wounds, cure moderate wounds, flame strike, freedom of movement, heightened hold person, prayer, righteous might, searing light, true resurrection, true seeing

Staff of the Hierophant stats:

• +2/+2 quarterstaff 
• +2 luck bonus to attack rolls, saving throws, ability checks, and skill checks
• CL: 15th
• Cost (gp): 220,000
• Slot: Slotless
• Aura: Strong varies
• Weight: 5lbs

 

14. Staff of One Hundred Hands

A handy staff

If you prefer a hands on approach as a wizard or sorcerer this is the item for you. The staff of one hundred hands lets you cast mage hand at will which is awesome because it effectively means this thing is hands free.

For one charge you can cast forceful hand which can make one bull rush per round. Then there’s interposing hand which stands between you and one chosen enemy, preventing them from approaching you and giving you a bonus to AC against them.

For two charges you can cast clenched fist which works like interposing hand but also lets you make attacks with it. You can also cast grasping hands which is the same as before but instead of attacks you get to grapple or make bull rush attempts with it.

Finally for three points you can cast crushing hand which again acts like interposing hand but lets you grapple or bullrush while also adding 2d6+12 when successful.

Why staff of one hundred hands is great:

• Mage hand at will lets you compensate for holding this staff, giving you two other hands with which to hold things. Grab two more awesome staffs or a wand for it to hold and switch those around as you need them. Carry extra potions and pass them around with your allies when necessary. If you have a prehensile tail that’s even more hands!
• Before you go worrying about how quickly this will burn through the ten charges of a staff and how expensive it will be to run, unlike wands, staves don’t cost gold to recharge. Only spell slots. Learn these spells and you can have some awesome battlefield control by recharging the staff in your downtime
• Forceful hand is amazing battlefield control. Keep enemies away from you and push them towards your allies. Keep enemies in range of them so they can more frequently make full round attacks
• Interposing hand is awesome for defence as it provides +4 AC and ignores invisibility, darkness, and even polymorphing if the enemy attempts to disguise themselves
• Being able to grapple or attack with the better versions is even cooler. Keep yourself defended while also being able to deal damage or keep an enemy locked down, though with the caveat that because you’re directing it the hand is subject to invisibility or darkness
• These spells also last one round per level. Given the staff is CL17th they’ll last seventeen rounds which is almost certainly going to be an entire encounter. Pick wisely early in an encounter to make best use of them

Build requirements:

• Cost (gp): 90,100
• Feats: Craft staff
• Spells: clenched fist, crushing hand, forceful hand, grasping hand, interposing hand, mage hand

Staff of one hundred hands stats:

• Cast mage hand at will
• CL: 17th
• Cost (gp): 180,200
• Slot: Slotless
• Aura: Strong evocation
• Weight: 5lbs

 

13. Staff of Wings

This staff is no longer a flight of fancy

I wonder what this does. Tough guess. Does it cast fireball? Is it a teleporting staff? Does it grant an extra level? Wrong all three times. It casts fly. Never would’ve guessed it!

For one charge you can cast fly. For two you can cast overland flight, and for three you can cast mass fly. Simple as that.

Why staff of wings is great:

• Flying is awesome. Keep yourself out of the fight or let the fighter reach that pesky flying mage
• What’s even more awesome? Saving spell slots on doing it. Use them on something else
• Fly is nice and cheap so cast it on yourself if you don’t see yourself needing it for long
• Overland flight is going to last you 13 hours with this staff so that should be you sorted all day and throughout every encounter unless you’re caught with your trousers down
• Mass fly for three charges is great value if you have a large party, especially at ten minutes per level. With this staff that’s 130 minutes, nearly two hours. Not all day but plenty of time to last several encounters if you’re clearing a cave or fort. Cast it then put the staff in your bag of holding until it’s needed again
• Easy to charge. You’re probably only using mass fly once a day so it won’t take long at all to refill those three charges and save yourself a precious seventh level slot while letting even the fighter and barbarian fly around
• Useful for overland travel too if you’re going somewhere new. Cast up to five overland flights and soar to new horizons (literally)
• Quite affordable if you can make it yourself

Build requirements:

• Cost (gp): 29,700
• Feats: Craft staff
• Spells: fly, mass fly, overland flight, silent image

Staff of wings stats:

• CL: 13th
• Cost (gp): 59,400
• Slot: Slotless
• Aura: Strong illusion and transmutation
• Weight: 5lbs

 

12. Staff of Travel

A mage with her teleporting staff

Another incredibly vague title. In case you’re lost as I’m sure many of you are with this absolutely not very specific name, this staff is useful for travelling.

One charge gets you dimension door or fly and three gets you teleport. Hopefully you followed that because that might just be the most complicated item on this list.

Why staff of travel is great:

• Dimension door is an incredibly useful spell on the battlefield. Move yourself in and out of danger as needed and for only one charge you can jump around as needed. Even grab a wounded ally and get them to the cleric
• As mentioned in the previous entry, fly is great. Combine this with dimension door and you have free reign over the battlefield
• Teleport across the world for only two charges. Save that fifth level spell slot and jump to wherever you need to go up to five times a day
• Useful on both a pure caster and some martial casters. Take this on a magus in conjunction with the wand wielder arcana, allowing you to use staves in spell combat and the dimensional agility feat allowing you to make full round attacks after casting dimension door. If you’re a tiefling with a prehensile tail you can take it out of your other hand easily and go back to casting your other spells

Build requirements:

• Cost (gp): 27,200
• Feats: Craft staff
• Spells: dimension door, expeditious retreat, fly, teleport

Staff of travel stats:

• CL: 9th
• Cost (gp): 54,400
• Slot: Slotless
• Aura: moderate conjuration
• Weight: 3lbs

 

11. Staff of Stealth

An arcane trickster with her "borrowed" staff

Now why can’t Paizo make their names clearly obvious? Only some kind of mastermind could guess what this staff does…

Staff of stealth lets you cast disguise self, invisibility, or nondetection for one charge and greater invisibility for two.

Why staff of stealth is great:

• Disguise self lets the user completely change their appearance. Unfortunately it is a personal range spell meaning if anybody other than the spellcaster wants to use it they are going to need a use magic device check. But if the right party member can use it they can do some good old fashioned espionage
• Invisibility makes you invisible in case that wasn’t clear. Lasts minutes per level and can be cast on another creature. With CL8, you can make the rogue invisible for eight minutes, letting them perform quick reconnaissance with a +20 to their stealth while they’re moving. +40 if they’re standing still. No attacking as this version of the spell is immediately ended if they attack anything but that’s not what this is for
• Nondetection makes somebody do a caster level check against you or somebody you touch. Circumstantial and the weakest part of this item but when it’s useful it’s good to have without using a third level slot
• Greater invisibility is only rounds per level but doesn’t drop if you attack. Slap this on the rogue and let them do sneak attack damage every round until it wears off. If you’re feeling generous give it to more party members and terrify your enemies
• Greater invisibility is also awesome for you as a spellcaster. Stay out of sight and out of mind while you sling spells around. Be careful for see invisibility or true sight though. Make sure you’re rolling spellcraft in case they do cast either and have dispel magic handy

Build requirements:

• Cost (gp): 20,900
• Feats: Craft staff
• Spells: disguise self, greater invisibility, invisibility, nondetection

Staff of stealth stats:

• CL: 8th
• Cost (gp): 39,300
• Slot: Slotless
• Aura: moderate illusion
• Weight: 5lbs

 

10. Ring of Protection

A little shield ring

Now let’s move onto rings. We’re going to start once again by getting the obvious out of the way with the ring of protection. These come in five varieties, each providing from a +1 to a +5 deflection bonus to AC. These stack with your armour but not with other deflection bonuses. It’s worth remembering that multiple bonuses of the same type but from different sources don’t typically stack.

Why ring of protection is great:

• Extra AC. There’s a reason these rings are a staple of most campaigns. Whatever class you’re playing, these rings are always worth picking up when you find them. High level spellcasters are probably going to ditch these in favour of other rings to enhance their spellcasting but martial classes are almost definitely going to keep these for a while if not throughout the whole campaign
• Deflection bonuses stack with touch AC. This is very important for heavy armour characters with little dexterity and solely rely on their armour for AC. Getting a bonus to this helps to make touch attacks a little less scary
• The lower rings are surprisingly inexpensive which you’ll see below. Also means some can be made in only a few days if you can take the extra five to the DC of making them

Build requirements:

• Cost (gp): 1,000 (+1), 4,000 (+2), 9,000 (+3), 16,000 (+4), 25,000 (+5)
• Feats: Forge ring
• Spells: Shield of faith
• Special: Creator must be at least three times the level of the spell

Ring of protection stats:

• CL: 5th
• Cost (gp): 2,000 (+1), 8,000 (+2), 18,000 (+3), 32,000(+4), 50,000 (+5)
• Slot: Ring
• Aura: faint abjuration
• Weight: Negligible

 

9. Ring of Wizardry

A wizard with his siganture looks of superiority thanks to extra spell slots

There are a lot of very similar rings to this such as the ring of spell knowledge, the ring of spell storing, and the ring of counterspells. All are good but I argue the ring of wizardry is better as it doubles a spell slot from 1st level spells up to 4th level depending on the version, though I grant the ring of spell storing grants greater flexibility as you can store a certain number of spell levels rather than restricting you to one spell. But it is also vastly more expensive.

Ring of spell knowledge is only useful on spontaneous casters as it effectively grants you an extra spell known, making it very useful to classes which can’t learn extra spells. But it is even better in conjunction with the ring of wizardry which is useful to any arcane spellcaster.

As explained, the ring of wizardry can double first, second, third, or fourth level spell slots which is fantastic. Sorcerers can sling spells all day long while wizards can prepare an even wider variety of spells in a morning. Pick which level you’re really feeling the squeeze on. Usually this will be higher level spell slots but sometimes will be a lower one.

There is also the ring of counterspell which at 4000gp is pretty nice but at higher levels there’s the type III ring of wizardry which doubles your third level spell slots anyway. Grab another dispel magic as that’s all you’re going to put in your ring of counterspell anyway.

I don’t generally recommend doubling first level spell slots as you get plenty of those already (unless you’re a bloodrager where this might actually be useful) and 1st level pearls of power cost 1000 gold anyway so you can always keep a few in your back pocket when you actually need them. 2nd level or higher is always a good pick but gets expensive.

Why ring of wizardry is great:

• Anybody who has ever played a spellcaster will know how great extra spells are. Boosting your casting stat will only get you so many more
• As this doubles your spell slots it’s effectiveness only gets better. Let’s say you somehow get this at first level as a wizard. Get two first level spells a day instead of one (realistically more as you’ll have high int but stay with me here). At 2nd level when you’d normally have 2 spells you jump to four. Then at fourth level you jump to six. Told you this thing is awesome
• Works on any arcane caster. As great as it is for pure casters like sorcerer and wizard, this thing is also a godsend for magi, bloodragers, and skalds who don’t get as many spells per day
• Even better is as a wizard or magus you can use scrolls to learn extra spells. I know I’ve played campaigns where I know more spells than I could ever use and having the extra slots feels great (my current magus at 10th level knows over 100 spells).

Build requirements:

• Cost (gp): 10,000 (Type I), 20,000 (Type II), 35,000 (Type III), 50,000 (Type IV)
• Feats: Forge ring
• Spells: Limited wish

Ring of wizardry stats:

• CL: 11th
• Cost (gp): 20,000 (Type I), 40,000 (Type II), 70,000 (Type III), 100,000 (Type IV)
• Slot: Ring
• Aura: Moderate (no school)
• Weight: Negligible

 

8. Ring of Arcane Mastery

A magus wielding his mighty ring

Sorry martials but here we have another ring for spellcasters, specifically  magus. This makes the usability of the ring limited to just the one class but it is fantastic for it. I’ll admit I’ve got a sweet spot for magus as a class because I think it’s very cool and provides a nice balance between martial and magical capabilities that some other classes I’ve played don’t quite manage quite as well.

The ring of arcane mastery allows the wearer to store up to four points from their arcane pool which remain until they’re spent. Fill it up during downtime and you’ve effectively expanded your pool, but they can only be used for the following abilities:

By spending one point as a free action you add a +2 bonus to concentration checks for one round. Pretty nice if you need an assist casting one of your higher level spells but can’t afford to take a penalty on your attack roll.

As a standard action you can spend one point to use the pool strike arcana. Pick fire, acid, electricity, or cold damage and you can do 2d6 damage either as a touch attack or down your sword via spellstrike but it is not compatible with spell combat and only lasts the one hit. Essentially a weaker shocking grasp but can do other energy types which is helpful if something resists electricity. The damage also goes up by a d6 at 6th level and every three levels after that. Nice if you don’t want to take the pool strike arcana but keep the effects in your back pocket. Even if you do take it you have effectively expanded your pool by four points anyway.

Finally you can also use the reflection magus arcana as an immediate action. This gives you the ability to turn spells back at their caster as per spell turning which is awesome for the cost of the ring. For every point you spend you can return one level of spell, allowing you to return up to fourth level spells. A little limited in the long run but awesome to be able to do and without doubt a lifesaver in many instances

Why ring of arcane mastery is great:

• Extra four points to your arcane pool if you plan ahead
• Two arcana for free which is fantastic given the cool selection but sometimes in limited supply if you take an archetype which removes most of them (looking at you myrmidarch)
• If you end up spending all your stored points in one go, it’s only a swift action to resupply it so you can do that if you have the points to play with. Might be worth spending a feat on extra points if you want to do this
• Its usefulness never really drops off. Even if you get a ring of spell turning you can save your three uses of that on lower level spells by using this ring
• Boosting your concentration checks can be very helpful as magus is very reliant on them to make best use of spell combat. Save yourself getting a tunic of careful casting or taking the combat casting feat without constantly taking penalties on your attack roll
• Excellent value if you can build it. Still good value if you buy it for full price compared to a ring of spell turning which costs 100,000 gold

Build requirements:

• Cost (gp): 10,000 
• Feats: Forge ring
• Spells: Imbue with spell ability and spell turning

Ring of arcane mastery stats:

• CL: 11th
• Cost (gp): 20,000 
• Slot: Ring
• Aura: Strong abjuration and evocation
• Weight: Negligible

 

7. Ring of Spell Turning

What better to deflect spells than a little mirror?

As amazing as the ring of arcane mastery is, this is absolutely an upgrade in the long run despite the hefty cost. You’re not capped to fourth level spells. Instead three times per day you can command the ring to automatically return the next nine levels of spells cast on you. Simple as that. Make the command and the next nine levels of spells that target you specifically are reflected.

Based on the wording and the way spell turning works, I think it’s safe to interpret the way this ring works as you have nine levels of returning once you make the command, lasting 130 minutes as spell turning lasts ten minutes per level and the ring has a caster level of 13. That totals 27 levels of spells you can reflect a day.

Why the ring of spell turning is great:

• Spell turning is an amazing spell but at 7th level only pure casters are casting it normally. But anybody can wear this ring, even the fighter. Martial characters can take these rings to protect themselves from making saving throws. Only AOE and touch spells are getting through
• Having 27 spell levels to turn is amazing no matter how you slice it. Three ninth level spells or a load of lower levelled spells. High levelled spells are nasty, especially if they’re save or die/suck. No more getting taken out of the fight by hold person
• Did I forget to mention that by turning the spell the caster takes the effects? Not only are you protected without rolling a save but you also hit the enemy with the spell. Whatever damage or effect the spell does is afflicted to the enemy. If you get lucky they might disintegrate themselves

Build requirements:

• Cost (gp): 50,000
• Feats: Forge ring
• Spells: Spell turning

Ring of spell turning stats:

• CL: 13th
• Cost (gp): 100,000 
• Slot: Ring
• Aura: Strong abjuration 
• Weight: Negligible

 

6. Major Ring of Spell Storing

A rune covered ring

While I consider the ring of wizardry to be better value than the regular ring of spell storing, the major variant is undeniably better despite its hefty cost. Rather than storing five levels, this one lets you store 10.

You can even apply metamagic to the spells you cast into this ring so there’s a lot of freedom to get creative here. Store any combination of spell levels you please.

Why major ring of spell storing is great:

• Once again it gives you extra spells. Up to ten levels of them which is amazing for any spellcaster
• Unlike the ring of wizardry these can be either arcane or divine, meaning even clerics and paladins can take advantage of this one
• No arcane spell failure which can be useful if you’re playing a prestige class and using wizard for meeting the prerequisites meaning you have no way to get around the arcane spell failure chance other than arcane armour training which only negates up to 10% as a swift action
• Classes with very limited spells per day like paladin, bloodrager, or ranger can get fantastic mileage out of this if they can put in the time to fill it with their most useful spells

Build requirements:

• Cost (gp): 100,000 
• Feats: Forge ring
• Spells: Imbue with spell ability

Major ring of spell storing stats:

• CL: 17th
• Cost (gp): 200,000 
• Slot: Ring
• Aura: Strong evocation
• Weight: Negligible

 

5. Metamagic Rods

Some absolute meta picks

I’m going to lump all metamagic rods into one as they could be their own list, But I also want to give other rods some time to shine.

Metamagic rods come in various types, each with a metamagic feat contains within. By using them you can cast a spell as though it had that metamagic applied to it without increasing the spell level. This is amazing and you can get up to all sorts with them.

Unlike staves and wands, rods don’t generally have charges. Metamagic rods generally say a wielder can use them three times a day. Share them between the party throughout a day and each of you can apply a metamagic feat three times a day.

Why metamagic rods are great:

• Apply widen spell and increase the range of AOE spells. If you also take the magic trick feat and apply it to fireball you can increase the damage by 1d6 for every 5ft you reduce the radius. Useful for making best use of fireball and not catching teammates in the blast. But combine it with widen spell and you’ve got more radius to get rid of and thus more damage to add, getting more distance out of fireball
• Intensified spell increases the maximum damage dice of a spell, letting it stay relevant for longer. Magi can increase shocking grasp’s maximum to 10d6. Now you can do this three times a day without using a higher spell slot (if you can get extra limbs like a prehensile tail to hold a rod)
• Maximise spell enables a spell to automatically deal maximum damage
• Quicken spell lets you cast as a swift action. This is awesome for so many reasons. Wizards and sorcerers can cast two spells a round three times. Magi can cast two spells and still make a full round attack. Skalds and bloodragers can cast and make a single attack. A caveat, however, is you can’t use two-handed weapons to do this as the rod takes up one hand. A solution? Play tiefling and take the prehensile tail to hold your metamagic rod

Build requirements:

• Cost (gp): See rod level and metamagic
• Feats: Craft rod and relevant metamagic feat
• Spells: None

Metamagic rods stats:

• CL: See rod level and metamagic
• Cost (gp): See rod level and metamagic
• Slot: Slotless
• Aura: Strong (no school)
• Weight: Generally 5lbs

 

4. Rod of Alertness

A rod to wake you up nice and early

Occasionally you might be attacked in your sleep. Not anymore. By planting this in the ground it will detect any creatures that wish to do you harm within a 120ft radius. If it detects any such creatures it sends everybody within 20ft of it a mental alert and casts prayer. You’ll be woken up in time to prevent a surprise round against you and to grab your weapons. Unfortunately this likely isn’t enough time to get heavy armour on but at least you can ready your weapons.

It can also animate up to eleven small objects as per animate object. You can animate medium objects which count as two small objects and large objects which count as four. Grab some mundane weapons and leave them next to the rod while you’re asleep then when you wake up, animate them to attack your would-be ambushers.

This rod also functions as a +1 light mace and grants a +1 to initiative as well as the ability to cast the various detect alignment spells, detect magic, discern lies, light, and see invisibility. Useful for any buff bot like wizard, sorcerer, cleric, or bard. Summoner too as you want to move before your eidolon to buff them.

Why rod of alertness is great:

• No need to have somebody keep watch. The rod does it for you so everybody can get a full rest in one go without risking being attacked in your sleep if your GM rolls random encounters each night
• Prayer when you get ambushed helps a lot. Cast a different buff to stack with it and you’ll have two buffs active by the end of your first turn
• Use animate object to animate a bunch of daggers, some longswords, or greatswords to attack ambushers once you wake up. Free attacks are awesome. Only caveat is they can’t be magical so if you’re being attacked by something only vulnerable to magic attacks then they won’t do much
• +1 initiative is great for the party buffer. On top of a decent dex score and improved initiative you’re very likely to move first and add haste to the prayer the rod activated if you’re ambushed
• +1 light mace is a decent sidearm. Only a d6 but worth keeping to hand if anything gets too close
• See invisibility is circumstantial but life saving when you need it. Having it to hand is awesome and lets you pick other spells which will be useful more frequently

Build requirements:

• Cost (gp): 42,500
• Feats: Craft rod 
• Spells: Alarm, animate objects, detect chaos, detect evil, detect good, detect law, detect magic, discern lies, light, prayer, see invisibility

Rod of Alertness stats:

• CL: 11th
• Cost (gp): 85,000
• Slot: Slotless
• Aura: Moderate varies
• Weight: 4lbs

 

3. Rod of Lordly Might

A mighty mace with buttons for becoming other weapons

This list has been very spellcaster heavy but I’ve found something for you martial stans. The rod of lordly might gives you a few spell-like abilities which can be used once a day as well as a bunch of different weapons built into it. There’s also a dwarven version called the rod of dwarven might which doesn’t get you the spells but you do get dwarf-specific weapons so if you’re playing a dwarf that might be worth looking at.

With this rod you get hold person with a melee touch attack, fear against everybody in view of the rod, and 2d4 damage on a successful touch attack which you also get to add to your own health. Worth noting you can do these while the rod is in any of its forms. Make your touch attack with a battleaxe, though it will still only do the specified magic effect but with the +4 bonus of the battleaxe you’re gonna have a good chance of hitting against touch AC.

The rod normally counts as a +2 light mace. It can also become any of the following weapons as part of a move action: +1 flaming longsword, +4 battleaxe, +3 shortspear/longspear. As a longspear it can also be used as a lance for your mounted characters.

It can also become a climbing pole up to 50ft long. Save you making annoying climb checks if you can’t fly. A spike even pokes out of the bottom to secure it to the ground. It even notes that you can use it to force doors opens using a strength modifier of +12.

On top of all this it’s also a compass. Can point you to magnetic north and even tell you how far below the surface or how high above you are. This is the best Swiss Army Knife ever!

Why rod of lordly might is great:

• Hold person is terrifying. Hold an enemy in place then next round attack their flat footed AC as their dexterity becomes 0. Flyers fall to the ground, swimmers might drown, spellcasters (other than psychic) can’t cast
• Fear in a 10ft radius is still good. If they fail the will save they drop any held items and run away as well as take -2 to all saving throws, skill checks and ability checks. Even if they pass they’re shaken for one round, giving them the same -2 penalty but it reduces their attack and damage rolls too
• 2d4 damage to the enemy and healing to you is pretty nice. Not the best damage but if you need the healing in a pinch it’s not the worst idea. Targets touch AC too which is nice against the right enemy
• The variety of weapons is awesome. You’re probably gonna pick one weapon and stick with that in most cases but there are a few advantages to switching it up with this. If you’re a cavalier or samurai, grab the lance which you can use one handed while mounted then should you need to demount, swap to the longsword or battleaxe for getting up close
• Swapping weapons can also help get around DR to slashing or piercing. A longsword can do either, making it a good pick if you need to swap damage type quickly
• It’s a great selection of weapons each with their benefits and drawbacks. Lance is awesome for mounted combat as it’s a d8 weapon with reach and can be used in one hand, allowing you to use it with a shield. but should you find yourself in a cave you need to dismount and use it in two hands
• If an enemy gets too close and you can’t step back, the enemy has the step up feat, or find yourself against DR to piercing damage you can easily switch to the longsword or battleaxe which can be wielded two handed to keep that 1.5 strength bonus to damage
• Longsword provides a bonus d6 fire damage which is good if you want extra damage to anything weak to fire but as the battleaxe is +4 this is probably better in most cases unless something has DR to slashing damage
• The +4 battleaxe also has a x3 crit modifier on a nat 20. With that enhancement bonus you’ve got a good chance of confirming
• Only not so great pick is the shortspear. Measly d6 damage, can only be used one handed. Being a throwing weapon isn’t great as throwing builds generally suck and you’ll be throwing away your awesome versatile weapon as it doesn’t even have returning
• No limit on swapping weapons keeps you changing things up all day
• Ladder is circumstantial but great for avoiding climb checks as you never want to put more than one rank into climb
• Get locked doors open without finding a key

Build requirements:

• Cost (gp): 35,000
• Feats: Craft rod, craft magic arms and armour
• Spells: bull’s strength, fear, flame blade, hold person, inflict light wounds

Rod of lordly might stats:

• CL: 19th
• Cost (gp): 70,000
• Slot: Slotless
• Aura: Strong varies
• Weight: 10lbs

 

2. Sceptre of Heaven

The perfect weapon for holy warriors

Much like the last couple of rods, this one is also a weapon. It is a +1 evil outsider bane morningstar. Bane is a specific enchantment but very powerful when you hit the right creature. Given you’re probably fighting evil creatures in general, you’ll probably get some mileage if you’re regularly fighting outsiders.

When wielded by a good-aligned creature (which I’d guess you probably are if this interests you), it grants the wielder a +2 sacred bonus to caster level checks made as part of dispel magic to dispel evil-aligned effects or effects caused by evil outsiders.

If you wear a crown of heaven, the sceptre’s caster level is increased to 15 which improves all of its spell-like abilities. Worth grabbing that crown if you can.

At will you can use bless weapon which grants it true strike against all evil foes. Definitely going to get some mileage there in most campaigns. It also grants a +1 enhancement bonus for the purposes of overcoming any DR possessed by evil creatures. It also automatically confirms any crit threat against evil foes. Given that will last 10 minutes (15 with the crown) you’ve got good opportunity to get some crits in even if you only threat on a 20

Once a day you can also cast spear of purity. Touch attack for 5d8 damage. Evil outsiders take 10d6 and get a will save against being blinded for one round. Neutral creatures take half damage and aren’t blinded while good creatures aren’t affected.

You can also cast holy smite which works the same way as spear of purity but instead it’s done in a 20ft radius. A successful will save halves the damage and negates blindness.

It can also cast holy sword. Your morningstar is treated as a +5 holy weapon and deals an extra 2d6 against evil opponents. Basically replaces your bane against outsiders with bane against all evil creatures. It also emits a magic circle against evil effect. Evil summoned creatures can’t get within 10ft of you. The circle effect basically grants you, and any allies within 10ft, protection from evil. +2 bonus to AC and saves, you immediately get another save against any ongoing effects previously cast on you but they resume when this spell expires.

Finally there’s holy word which only affects creatures whose HD match or are lower than your caster level. All creatures within 40ft make a will save against the effects. If they’re the same level as you they are deafened for 1d4 round (save negates), if they are one level lower they are also blinded for 2d4 rounds (save reduces to 1d4), up to five levels lower and they are also paralyzed and helpless for 1d10 minutes (save reduces to 1 round), and if they’re up to ten levels lower they die. Undead creatures are destroyed. If they save they instead take 3d6+10 (15 if you have the crown).

On top of all that, when you cast holy word on your home plane, any non-good extraplanar creatures are banished back to their home plane and can’t return for 24 hours. They get a will save at a -4 penalty to negate.

Why sceptre of heaven is great:

• Bane is circumstantial but amazing when you’re fighting the right creature. If you’re not, simply cast holy weapon or bless weapon when it matters most for the added benefits
• Most campaigns involve fighting evil creatures so all the effects which only target evil creatures are going to affect most of the things you fight
• Combine with the crown of heaven to boost the sceptre’s spells. It’s expensive but worth grabbing if you’re going all in on fighting evil outsiders
• Bless weapon is fantastic. Minor bonus against any DR evil creatures have but the auto crit is very nice given how long it lasts
• Spear of purity is a nice bit of ranged damage and blinding something is awesome as it massively limits what they can do even just for a single round
• Holy smite is arguably better as it’s AOE rather than single target
• Holy sword is awesome and best saved for the toughest fight of the day. +5 holy weapon and 2d6 against all evil creatures is fantastic. Also effectively grants you protection from evil which is very nice. If the enemy summons a lot of evil outsiders then they’re not touching you. Keep the party close by and you can walk right up to their master and kill him
• Holy word is awesome. This would still  be pretty good if it was a single target spell but with a 40ft radius you might just at least deafen everything around you. Kill off the weaker minions in one go and anything left has a good chance of being paralyzed, blind, and/or deaf

Build requirements:

• Cost (gp): 37,000
• Feats: Craft rod, craft magic arms and armour
• Spells: Bless weapon, dispel evil, holy smite, holy sword, holy word, spear of purity
• Special: Creator must be good

Sceptre of heaven stats:

• CL: 10th
• Cost (gp): 74,000
• Slot: Slotless
• Aura: Moderate evocation (strong if crown of heaven is worn)
• Weight: 3lbs

 

1. Rod of Absorption

A magical lightning rod

Another item similar to the ring of spell storing or the ring of wizardry as this rod grants spellcasters extra slots. But what sets this rod aside from the rest is its ability to absorb spells. While holding the rod of absorption it automatically nullifies single target or ray spells targeted at you and stores their levels within itself. For example if scorching ray is cast at you, the rod negates the damage and stores 2 levels worth of spells.

Now you have two spell levels stored within the rod, you can cast either one second level spell without using one of your normal slots or cast two first level spells. They need not be the spell cast at you. Racking up spell levels for later is super easy if you make yourself a prime target. Or give it to the more obvious target and save them from up to fifty levels of spells.

If you’re a prepared caster like wizard or magus you can only cast spells you have prepared but without spending the prepared spell. A little limited but still awesome. Magi can spam shocking grasp a bunch more times or wizards can cast extra buffs when needed. Spontaneous casters like sorcerers and bards can use any spells they know. Only caveat is you need to know the spell and have the components as the spell is not stored within, rather you are casting it using the store power instead of your own.

The caveat is that the rod of absorption can only store up to fifty levels of spells and cannot be recharged. Keep a running total of the number of slots you have ever filled it with and which have been expended. Once you have expended all fifty charges the rod is useless and you’ll need to make another.

Why rod of absorption is great:

• Absorb spells without needing to roll anything. Simply hold the rod in your hand. Up to 50 levels of them. This is amazing. You could absorb five 9th level spells and still be able to absorb five more levels
• Awesome item for the whole team. Pass it around to whoever is getting targeted to fill it up quickly while also saving them from damage or nasty suck effects
• Pass it around to share the spell levels when needed. Bard needs haste again? Get it to them. Sorcerer wants to throw another fireball? Let them do it
• I know I keep saying this but it’s surprisingly affordable at higher levels if you can make one yourself. Make a few if you can. Have anybody with a spare hand (tieflings with prehensile tails) hold one to save them from making saves or taking damage and then pass them around as needed. Not really much else to say
• If you really want to fill this up quickly you could, on a free day, have the fighter hold it and let the spellcaster burn through all their spells to charge it in one go. I wouldn’t recommend this as it serves you better by using it to negate fifty levels of spells but this is an option if you want or need to charge it quickly

Build requirements:

• Cost (gp): 25,000
• Feats: Craft rod
• Spells: Spell turning

Rod of absorption stats:

• CL: 15th
• Cost (gp): 50,000
• Slot: Slotless
• Aura: Strong abjuration
• Weight: 5lbs

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