Magic Items Shut Down with the Rod of Deactivation

Adventurers in our games of Dungeons and Dragons love treasure. There's nothing more satisfying than the pile of gold and gems left behind by the defeated mob of goblins; or the sigh of relief when the lonely treasure chest doesn't jump up as a mimic and want to eat us. Treasure is great.

MAgic. Silenced. - Null Rod by Anson Maddocks

The most wondrous kind of treasure is that of a Magic Item. Anything from the pointed hat of a wizard that you can cast spells through, the enchanted sword that surrounds you with a defensive bubble when you're hurt, or a legendary tome full of magic so potent, the pages themselves are alive.

Yes, Magic Items are wondrous, but only when they work.

Rod of Deactivation

As with many Magic Items, the naming convention of 'Thing of Nouns' is too good to pass up. This sheer metal rod is about six inches long and half an inch wide. It's rounded and sturdy, but is lighter to the touch than one would expect. It has a single switch on its side, flipping the switch will deactivate the effects of all Magic Items of a certain rarity within 40 feet.

Rod of Deactivation Stats Generated with Homebrewery

This rod was created, in the homebrew setting that I created. In it's history, there was a period where Magic was seen without favour and was heavily mistrusted. During this time, inquisitions sought out and incarcerated spellcasters of all kinds, with the simple message of denouncing magic.

The confiscation of many Magic Items also lead to this item's heavy use. It drew the power away from spellcasters, making them easier to manage and bring to justice.

In the present day in my setting, magic is no longer outlawed, making the use of an item like this deeply troubling, but those who have such a device can easily sap the magical power from those that can see it.

Now we want to hear from you. Where would the Rod of Deactivation be seen in worlds you GM?Would your Magic Item making Artificer love to hate a device like this? Let us know in our discord server or in the comments below.

Adam Ray contributes much for adventurers here on Apotheosis Studios. As co-founder of fantasticuniverses.com, they write about card gaming and PC gaming to a corner of the internet he carved out themselves. On Youtube, they can be found game mastering for No Ordinary Heroes, or editing the antics on The Hostile Atmosphere. Find where they dwell by climbing their Linktree.