I’ve written about how to get a magic weapon as well as leveling up magic weapons and giving magic weapons interesting drawbacks. But here is a method of quickly creating interesting magic weapons.

A magic weapon may be of any sort desired by the heroes; each has a base bonus and an archetype, and potentially a special property and/or a drawback. The base bonus of a weapon should be +1 or +2… (1d6: 1-4=+1; 5-6=+2). This is noticeable immediately.

Type

1d20	Property
1-4	Sword
5-7	Ax
8-9	Dagger
10	Spear
11-12	Mace
13-14	Bow/Arrows
15	Pick
16	Polearm
17	Flail
18	Crossbow/Bolts
20	Warhammer

Archetype

A weapon’s main property is usually only knowable when it’s identified by name or by determining its command word and using it. This may be inscribed right on the weapon or relatively easily determined by arcane research. In other cases, it may glow in the presence of foes it gives bonuses against.

1d20	Archetype	Description
1	…of Darkness	Radiates magical darkness in 10-foot radius twice per day.
2	…of Silence	Radiates magical silence in 10-foot radius twice per day.
3	…of Quickness	+1 to initiative; wielder gets an extra attack.
4	…Giant Killer	+4 vs giantkin.
5	…of Flame	Confers fire resistance; do extra 1d3 fire damage on a hit; light as torch.
6	Priest Hunter	+4 vs divine spellcasters.
7	Weapon Breaker	If the weapon die roll is maximum, the similar-sized opponent’s weapon may break as if the opponent had rolled a natural 1.
8	Witchborn Foe	+4 vs aberrations.
9	Monster Hunter	+4 vs monstrosities.
10	Behemoth Slayer	+4 vs any creature larger than large size with 4+ legs.
11	Night Walker	+5 in moonlight.
12	…of Lightning	Hit does +1d3 lightning damage; cast lightning bolt once per day.
13	Mage Slayer	+4 vs arcane spellcasters. Dispel Magic twice per day.
14	…of Ice	Hit does +1d3 cold damage; cast Cone of Cold once per day.
15	…of Evasion	Instead of taking a critical hit, the wielder can teleport 10 feet in a random safe compass direction.
16	…of Answering	If hit in melee, wielder gets an immediate free attack at disadvantage on that opponent.
17	Holy Avenger	+4 vs undead; +5 vs fiends; cannot be wielded against good creatures.
18	…of Throwing	Can be thrown up to 50 feet for full damage; returns on command (with a strength of 16 for purposes of freeing itself).
19	…of Sharpness	If weapon die roll is maximum, the similar-size opponent loses a limb. Two-handed bladed weapons only.
20	Vorpal Blade	If weapon die roll is maximum, the similar-size opponent loses a head. Two-handed bladed weapons only.

Special Property

A weapon’s special property may only be discovered by accident or may be part of its lore, findable by arcane research.

1d20	Property
1-3	No special property.
4	Cannot be disarmed and is not dropped on a natural 1 (but still could be broken).
5-7	Glows menacingly (for one round) when first drawn.
8	On command, can shrink and be carried in a pouch or on a necklace with no encumbrance.
9	Floats in liquids.
10	If reduced to 0 hp by an opponent, the wielder gets an automatic critical hit on that opponent.
11	+3 AC vs mundane ranged attacks other than boulders and such.
12	Once per day, can cause the ground for 50 feet around to tremble as a minor earthquake. Could cause creatures to lose their balance or panic and could topple precarious structures.
13-14	Detects magic in a 5-foot radius on verbal command.
15-16	Emits light as a (magical) torch, but not heat, on verbal command.
17-18	Knock spell once per day and Arcane Lock spell once per day when rapped against an object.
19-20	Speaks; roll 3d6 for intelligence, wisdom, and charisma

Drawback

A weapon’s drawback may only be discovered by accident or may be part of its lore, findable by arcane research.

1d12	Property
1-5	No drawback.
6	If it has a special bonus against a certain type of creature, those creatures can sense it at a distance equal to its bonus times 10 feet. Otherwise, no drawback.
7	Bearer is uneasy… (1d4: 1=in forest; 2=in hills; 3=near water; 4=underground); GM gets 1 point of danger (no more than once per day).
8	Wielder cannot bear to withdraw from combat; enemies must be slain, subdued, or routed.
9	If it gets submerged in running water separate from the wielder, it’s reclaimed by the fae folk who crafted it by a magical hand.
10	Refuses to be wielded against a certain type of creature (its maker’s ancestry or some monster).
11	Makes loud noise at initiative… (1d4: 1=battle song; 2=insult; 3=battlecry; 4=boast). It cannot otherwise speak unless it has that as a property.
12	On an attack roll of natural 20, the wielder is affected by magical silence for 1 hour. It was created to stop a prideful warrior from boasting about his deeds.