Magic Items

A magic item is any object that has magical powers inherent
in it. These may act on their own or be the tools of the

o Magic swords
o Sentient weapons

person or being whose hands they fall into. Magic items are
commonly found in both folklore and modern fantasy. Their

o Magic guns
* Magic rings

fictional appearance is as old as the Iliad in which
Aphrodite's magical girdle is used by Hera as a love charm.

* Cloak of invisibility
* Potions

Magic items often act as a plot device to grant magical

* Rods
* Staves

abilities. They may give magical abilities to a person
lacking in them, or enhance the power of a wizard. For

* Magic carpets
* Seven-league boots

instance, in J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit, the magical ring
allows Bilbo Baggins to be instrumental in the quest,

* Fairy ointment

matching the abilities of the dwarves.

Magic items are often, also, used as plot coupons. he
characters in a story must collect an arbitrary number of

In role-playing games and fantasy literature, an artifact is
a magical object with great power. Often, this power is so

magical items, and when they have the full set, the magic is
sufficient to resolve the plot. In video games, these types

great that it cannot be duplicated by any known art allowed
by the premises of the fantasy world, and often cannot be

of items are usually collected in fetch quests.

destroyed by ordinary means. Artifacts often serve as
MacGuffins, the central focus of quests to locate, capture,

Many works of folklore and fantasy include very similar
items, that can be grouped into types. These include:

or destroy them. The One Ring of The Lord of the Rings is a
typical artifact: it was alarmingly powerful, of ancient and

* Magic weapons

obscure origin, and nearly indestructible.