100 Enchanted Artifacts with Unexpected Side Effects

Picture this: a chest shrouded in mystery, tucked away in a forgotten corner of a forgotten world. Inside, a trove of enchanted artifacts awaits discovery, each one shimmering with promise, yet fraught with curious quirks. These items are imbued with magic, purpose-designed to assist adventurers, sorcerers, or the occasional scholar dabbling in the arcane. But here’s the twist: each artifact carries with it an unexpected side effect—a ripple of unpredictability that can spell fortune or disaster.

In the realm of fantasy, these enchanted artifacts present limitless storytelling potential. Whether blessing their bearer with unimaginable power or introducing an inconvenient hitch, they add layers of complexity to any narrative. Imagine the thrill, the risk, the anticipation of uncertain magic at play!

Let’s dive into this fascinating mix of the magical and the unpredictable, sorted into categories to inspire your next campaign.

100 Enchanted Artifacts Explorer’s Guide

To navigate through this enchanted chaos, we’ve organized our list into five themed d20 categories. Whether you’re hunting wild magic or seeking more subtle enhancements, each list is tailored to provide an entertaining mix of surprises. Remember, these artifacts aren’t just decorative trinkets or standard gear—they’re plot catalysts, potential curses, and narrative twists all wrapped up in one thrilling package.

d20 Surreal Weapons and Tools (1 – 20)

Enter the realm of armaments spun with magical threads, each one a boon for its wielder, but not without a sly catch. These weapons and tools promise power, precision, or protection, balanced against a price often unforeseen by their user.

d20	Artifact Name	Main Enchantment	Unexpected Side Effect	d100
1	Blade of the Whispering Winds	Increases attack speed	Whispers distract allies	1
2	Hammer of Earth’s Thunder	Generates earthquakes	Causes user to trip unexpectedly	2
3	Shield of Crystalline Clarity	Reflects spells back	Temporarily blinds the user	3
4	Gauntlets of Herculean Strength	Doubles physical power	Causes momentary clumsiness	4
5	Dagger of Flickering Shadows	Allows instantaneous teleport	Leaves afterimages confusing allies	5
6	Bow of Celestial Sight	Arrows track targets	Can induce vertigo in the user	6
7	Lance of Tempest Fury	Summons lightning	Hair turns static, continually frizzy	7
8	Staff of Woodland Spirits	Animates plants	User occasionally rooted when idle	8
9	Orb of Elemental Binding	Harnesses elemental power	Attracts elemental creatures	9
10	Helm of the Unyielding Will	Enhances mental fortitude	Blocks all emotions temporarily	10
11	Cloak of Nimbus Fortification	Summons protective mist	Dampens sound, hindering communication	11
12	Flute of Euphoria	Charms enemies with music	Induces uncontrollable laughter in the user	12
13	Quiver of Endless Arrows	Provides infinite ammunition	Arrows are mildly enchanted with random effects	13
14	Lantern of Eternal Light	Dispels darkness	Attracts bugs of all sorts	14
15	Ring of Thunderous Echo	Projects user’s voice	Randomly echoes user’s speech	15
16	Mirror Shield of Twin Refraction	Defensive mirroring	Creates a mischievous mirror duplicate	16
17	Blade of Burning Resolve	Ignites with fire	Burns through sheaths and scabbards slowly	17
18	Amulet of Arachnid Agility	Increases flexibility	Causes temporary arachnophobia	18
19	Harp of Lava Laments	Songs bring warmth	Induces spontaneous combustion in instruments	19
20	Chain of Celestial Anchoring	Grounds the bearer in storms	Reduces mobility when activated	20

d20 Peculiar Apparel and Accessories (21 – 40)

Apparel infused with enchantment offers more than simple style; it gifts wearers with extraordinary abilities, often creatively priced. When cloaks turn capes of confidence or boots imbue fleet footedness, benefits come tangled with intriguing caveats.

d20	Item Name	Enchantment	Unexpected Side Effect	d100
1	Robes of Serenity	Calms surrounding area	User becomes overly relaxed	21
2	Boots of the Gale Runner	Enhances speed	Leaves small tornado trails	22
3	Hat of Invisibility	Renders user unseen	Attracts small, curious animals	23
4	Gloves of the Tinkerer	Enhances crafting skills	Occasionally lock into object	24
5	Belt of Titan Binding	Teleports wearer short distances	Drains stamina significantly	25
6	Necklace of the Siren’s Call	Charms nearby creatures	Leaves user temporarily mute	26
7	Scarf of Shifting Seasons	Controls temperature around wearer	Affects moods drastically	27
8	Shoes of Silent Steps	Softens footsteps	Echoless areas become inaudible hubs	28
9	Earrings of Lucid Dreams	Induce prophetic dreams	Dreams become shared with nearby sleepers	29
10	Circlet of Watery Reprieve	Allows underwater breathing	Skin becomes noticeably damp	30
11	Cloak of the Dancing Flame	Lights surroundings on fire	Makes wearer minorly flammable	31
12	Ring of Feathered Flight	Grants ability to glide	Heightens fear of heights	32
13	Vest of the Frost King	Protects against cold	Leaves behind a trail of ice	33
14	Spectacles of Insight	Enhances reasoning skills	Causes temporary color blindness	34
15	Bracers of Lightning Reflex	Enhances agility	Occasionally gives user static shocks	35
16	Cape of Falling Leaves	Creates illusion of a leafy aura	Induces strong craving for sunlight	36
17	Sash of Starlit Paths	Lights nocturnal trails	Causes random sleepwalking episodes	37
18	Muffler of Silent Harmony	Mutes user’s footsteps	Causes intermittent musical hums	38
19	Anklet of the Bounding Hound	Doubles jumping height	Makes user’s voice bark-like when alarmed	39
20	Crown of Stormy Majesty	Commands weather elements	Induces uncontrollable sneezing	40

d20 Enchanted Trinkets and Charms (41 – 60)

Be it tiny trinkets or charming curios, these enchanted items promise a dash of magic for any situation. Each charm is an ally in adventures, but one should be wary, as their benefits harbor fine prints.

d20	Item Description	Primary Effect	Unanticipated Result	d100
1	Pocket-Sized Sun Dial	Tells exact time	Colors shadow with rainbows	41
2	Pendant of the Restful Mind	Prevents nightmares	Causes mild daytime drowsiness	42
3	Lucky Rabbit’s Paw	Provides good fortune	Turned luck may become ironic	43
4	Brooch of Golden Allure	Attracts wealth	Repeats jingling sounds of gold	44
5	Charm of Avian Whisper	Communicates with birds	Flocks follow user persistently	45
6	Lodestone Locket	Draws items toward holder	Randomly magnetizes nearby metals	46
7	Moonlit Medal	Reflects moonlight brilliantly	User becomes nocturnally active	47
8	Key of Boundless Doors	Opens any lock	Creates subtle, lingering door creaks	48
9	Amber Ring of Resonance	Amplifies user’s voice	User’s whispered secrets occasionally spill	49
10	Talisman of Dampened Pain	Lowers all pain sensation	Numbs other physical senses	50
11	Stone of Temporal Echoes	Attunes user to different timelines	Randomly transports sound bites from distant futures	51
12	Silver Thimble of Neat Stitches	Repairs fabrics instantly	Fabrics become mildly adhesive	52
13	Amulet of Sunlit Revival	Restores energy greatly	User becomes temporarily sunburned	53
14	Pebble of Endless Pools	Creates water sources	Induces thirst	54
15	Knot of Twisted Fates	Entangles destinies	Untying causes minor reality flickers	55
16	Garnish of Floral Grace	Promotes flourishing plants	Overwhelms user with floral aromas	56
17	Brass Button of the Tempest Caller	Summons breezes	User’s hair grows unrulily tangled	57
18	Seal of Echoing Eternity	Engraving echoes history	User’s memories gradually drift aline	58
19	Quartz Crystal of Clarity	Clears mind swiftly	Causes exaggerated confusion post-use	59
20	Timer of the Sudden Rest	Induces temporary pause	User’s sleep cycle becomes erratic	60

d20 Potent Potions and Elixirs (61 – 80)

In a world where even the simplest green vial glints with potential, potions hold a rarefied status. These liquid enchantments are powerful agents of transformation, experimentation, and intrigue—but their effects often come at a cost or with an entertaining caveat.

d20	Potion Name	Primary Effect	Side Effect	d100
1	Draught of Starlight	Heals all wounds	Causes temporary blindness in night	61
2	Potion of Lucid Serpent’s Tongue	Speaks all languages	Causes user to hiss	62
3	Elixir of the Eagle’s Eye	Enhances vision	Makes user prone to eye itches	63
4	Brew of the Bear’s Fortitude	Improves resilience	Induces unpredictable growling	64
5	Oleander’s Dreamtime	Grants prophetic visions	User falls irresistibly sleepy	65
6	Elixir of Infinite Breath	Allows prolonged submersion	Causes bloated sensation	66
7	Ether of the Shifting Waves	Transforms drinker into marine life	Skin retains slight scale texture post-transformation	67
8	Potion of Temporal Nudge	Alters time perception	Decreases temporal awareness	68
9	Syrup of Volatile Vitality	Instantly restores vigor	Causes brief periods of intense fever	69
10	Distilled Breeze	Lightens user’s weight	Causes lingering breeze-pulled effect	70
11	Nectar of Forgotten Dreams	Unlocks hidden memories	Overwhelms user with nostalgic scent	71
12	Serum of the Fractal Mind	Multiplies intelligence	Causes unpredictable mental loops	72
13	Tincture of Tranquil Twilight	Eases mental burdens	Creates sense of detachment	73
14	Vial of Velvet Shadows	Dissolves the drinker into shadow	User leaves behind faint smoke	74
15	Essence of Fiery Will	Enhances determination	Induces temper flares	75
16	Solution of the Frost Unfurling	Envelops in protective ice aura	User radiates coldness, actual and emotional	76
17	Philter of the Bewitched Vine	Enables wilderness communication	Causes sporadic plant growth around feet	77
18	Oil of Ethereal Motion	Allows fluid, ghost-like locomotion	Causes user to trip when not in motion	78
19	Cordial of the Now and After	Communicates with spirits	Causes brief visions of the afterlife	79
20	Tonic of the Amalgam Edge	Combines strengths of the team	Causes user’s personality to fluctuate	80

d20 Fun Riddles and Enigmatic Objects (81 – 100)

Steering into the peculiar, these enchanted objects boast powers nestled within mysteries themselves. They beg for exploration and tease imaginations with riddles wrapped in enigmas.

d20	Object Name	Major Function	Mysterious Fluke	d100
1	Sphere of the Lost Dialogue	Reveals forgotten languages	Projects volume uncontrollably	81
2	Cube of the Ever-Changing Puzzle	Alters environments	Causes user to forget completed patterns	82
3	Cradle of the Silent Symphony	Conducts ethereal music	User forgets simple melodies	83
4	Tablet of Spiraling Echoes	Deciphers complex codes	Causes persistent whispering in ear	84
5	Horn of Boundless Horizons	Expands user’s vision	Induces sudden dizziness	85
6	Wand of the Spun Web	Constructs unbreakable designs	User becomes attractively sticky	86
7	Chalice of the Fractal Sands	Amplifies mystical potential	User becomes obsessed with symmetry	87
8	They of Unseen Hands	Invisible help of dexterity	Occasionally performs unintended actions	88
9	Envelope of Twisting Parlance	Speaks forgotten lore	User randomly utters complex jargon	89
10	Canvas of Illusory Flash	Imagines vivid realms	User perceives phantom sights	90
11	Heart of the Emulated Dawn	Expands emotional experience	Mimics emotions of creatures nearby	91
12	Flint of the Binding Path	Sparks metaphysical trails	Leaves symbolic shimmering footprints	92
13	Bell of Encompassing Nightfall	Reclaims night through sound	Causes user to fear absolute silence	93
14	Medallion of Unseen Threads	Unveils hidden connections	Causes user to perceive illusory strings	94
15	Prism of the Refracted Spirit	Hovering specter reflection	Causes mirror images to invert	95
16	Chess Set of Strategic Animus	Performs living game of strategy	Pieces develop individual personalities suddenly	96
17	Lens of Temporal Illusions	Displays altered realities	Causes time perception distortions post-use	97
18	Keeper of the Woven Hues	Colors spaces magically	Drains colors slightly for real vision	98
19	Portal of the Forgotten Realm	Opens spectral channels	User forgets mundane details after every use	99
20	Furnace of the Earthly Glow	Radiates warmth in freezing conditions	Simulates feverish conditions uncomfortably	100

These enchanted artifacts, each a character unto itself, swing open the doors to limitless quests and fanciful stories. Through their magical allure—and the hitch of an unexpected twist—adventurers are drawn further into the wild weave of an enchanted world, offering endless creativity for storytellers and dungeon masters alike. As these magical items find their way into your narrative, allow their unpredictability to enhance the journey, making every discovery a step into the wondrous unknown.