Amagic item is any object that hasmagical powers inherent in it. These may act on their own or be the tools of the person or being whose hands they fall into. Magic items are commonly found in bothfolklore and modernfantasy. Their fictional appearance is as old as theIliad in whichAphrodite's magical girdle is used byHera as a love charm.[1]
Magic items often act as aplot device to grant magical abilities. They may givemagical abilities to a person lacking in them, or enhance the power of awizard. For instance, inJ.R.R. Tolkien'sThe Hobbit, themagic ring allowsBilbo Baggins to be instrumental in the quest, exceeding the abilities of the dwarves.[2]
Magic items are often, also, used asMacGuffins. The characters in a story must collect an arbitrary number of magical items, and when they have the full set, the magic is sufficient to resolve the plot. Invideo games, these types of items are usually collected infetch quests.
Certain kinds of fairy tales have their plots dominated by the magic items they contain. One such is the tale where the hero has a magic item that brings success, loses the item either accidentally (The Tinder Box) or through an enemy's actions (The Bronze Ring), and must regain it to regain his success.[3] Another is the magic item that runs out of control when the character knows how to start it but not to stop it: the mill inWhy the Sea Is Salt or the pot inSweet Porridge.[4] A third is the tale in which a hero has two rewards stolen from him, and athird reward attacks the thief.[5]
Many works of folklore and fantasy include very similar items, that can be grouped into types. These include:
Inrole-playing games andfantasy literature, anartifact is amagical object with great power. Often, this power is so great that it cannot be duplicated by any known art allowed by the premises of the fantasy world, and often cannot be destroyed by ordinary means. Artifacts often serve asMacGuffins, the central focus ofquests to locate, capture, or destroy them. TheOne Ring ofThe Lord of the Rings is a typical artifact: it was alarmingly powerful, of ancient and obscure origin, and nearly indestructible.
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InDungeons & Dragons, artifacts are magic items that either cannot be created by players or the secrets to their creation is not given. In any event, artifacts have nomarket price and have nohit points (that is, they are indestructible by normal spells). Artifacts typically have no inherent limit of using their powers. Under strict rules, any artifact can theoretically be destroyed by thesorcerer/wizardspellMordenkainen's Disjunction, but for the purposes of a campaign centered on destroying an artifact, a plot-related means of destruction is generally substituted. Artifacts inD&D are split into two categories. Minor artifacts are common, but they can no longer be created, whereas major artifacts are unique – only one of each item exists.[6]
In theHarry Potter series byJ. K. Rowling, several magical objects exist for the use of the characters. Some of them play a crucial role in the main plot. There are objects for different purposes such as communication, transportation, games, storage, as well as legendary artifacts and items withdark properties.
