Published Oct 25, 2026, 10:00 AM EDT

Francesco is an editor with a background in academic research, journalism, and content strategy, specializing in entertainment news and curation. He works across all of Polygon's verticals, specializing in tabletop games, with a focus on D&D and Magic.

This item is in every character's inventory, and it's ruining games

Image: Wizards of the Coast

Magic items are an important component of the Dungeons & Dragons experience; collecting and using wondrous artifacts is a given in a role-playing game of heroic fantasy. This is why, in D&D, every character class has access to magic items , starting at the very first level. However, one of these items is so powerful that it can easily turn the game’s balance upside down.

There is a long list of legendary artifacts that could fit that description: the Staff of Power, Queen Ehlissa’s Marvelous Nightingale , and of course, the Hand and Eye of Vecna come to mind.…