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To get the most out of Dungeons & Dragons’ most powerful magic items, players will have to attune to them first. Here’s how that works.
One of the most exciting things for Dungeons & Dragons players and Dungeons Masters alike is unearthing the magical items that have been hidden throughout the campaign world. The more powerful a magic item is, the more likely it will require the player to attune themselves to it to reap all of its benefits. Attunement limits players from stacking ridiculously powerful items that would otherwise overpower them if they could use them all at once.
Like all aspects of D&D, attunement comes with its own set of rules. When those are followed properly, attuned magic items can give adventuring parties a new edge and appreciation for the legendary power that exists in their world.
What Is Attunement?
Some magic items have intense power associated with them that can only be unlocked when a single player bonds with that item. This action is known as attunement. Many items that fall into the Epic and Legendary categories require attunement before players can truly behold the power within the item, but there are also uncommon, rare and very rare items that need to be attuned to before use. Whether it’s a rare spell or magical effect or power boost, it can only become activated when that item is attuned.
It’s important to note that non-attuned items can still be used. For example, a magic weapon that requires attunement will still work in the basic capacity as a weapon, but without attunement, it won’t grant access to any damage bonuses or additional effects.
How Attunement Works
First, players need to make sure they have an open attunement slot in their inventory. All players begin the game with three attunement slots, which means that, unless they have some special feat or ability, they can generally only attune to three items at once. That doesn’t mean they can’t have more than three magic items requiring attunement in their inventory, but only three at a time can be attuned and used to their full capacity.
Attuning to an item requires taking time during a short or long rest (usually one hour) to study the item and understand its properties. It may need to be identified before attuning, which will take time unless there is a spellcaster on hand to perform an identification spell or ritual. While attuning, it takes time to feel the energy of its magic and allow that magic to form a connection with the player. For instance, a Paladin may spend time in solitary battle practice to attune to a magic sword, or a Monk might explore their techniques while attuning to a magic staff.
Additionally, there are sometimes other prerequisites the player has to meet before they can attune to certain items. For example, some items may require the attuner to be a member of a spellcasting class that’s able to use magic without help from another magic item. Players also cannot attune to duplicates of the same magic item to stack their bonuses.
How to Break Attunement
As players move through a campaign and level up, the challenges they meet tend to offer greater rewards. That old magic Wand of Lightning Bolts the Wizard once attuned to might not be as useful as the Staff of Thunder and Lightning the party found while looting a dragon horde. With all three attunement slots full, the Wizard will need to break attunement from the wand to attune to the staff.
Breaking attunement can be as easy as leaving it behind and traveling more than 100 feet away from it for 24 hours, or simply spending a short rest with that item to break the connection between the attuned and the item. If the item is cursed, however, breaking attunement is not so easy. Someone will need to break the curse or remove the curse from the object so it can be unattuned. Alternatively, since an item can only be attuned to one person at a time, if another creature or player takes the time and effort required to form a bond with the item, it may break the current wielder’s attunement and transfer it.
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