Last Updated on November 14, 2023
Frost Brand
Weapon (any sword), very rare (requires attunement)
When you hit with an attack using this magic sword, the target takes an extra 1d6 cold damage. In addition, while you hold the sword, you have resistance to fire damage.
In freezing temperatures, the blade sheds bright light in a 10-foot radius and dim light for an additional 10 feet.
When you draw this weapon, you can extinguish all nonmagical flames within 30 feet of you. This property can be used no more than once per hour.
| Frost Brand Sword Types | ||||
| Sword Type | Damage | Properties | Weight | Cost |
| Greatsword | 2d6 Slashing | Heavy, Two-Handed | 6 lb | 2800gp |
| Longsword | 1d8 Slashing | Versatile (1d10) | 3 lb | 1500gp |
| Rapier | 1d8 Piercing | Finesse | 2 lb | 2000gp |
| Scimitar | 1d6 Slashing | Finesse, Light | 3 lb | 2000gp |
| Shortsword | 1d6 Slashing | Finesse, Light | 2 lb | 1000gp |
These costs are just a guide based on the consensus of D&D players and GMs. Our Magic Item Pricing Guide lists an average of 2000 gp.
Frost Brand Stat Block Breakdown
There are a whopping four different properties to this blade: damage, resistance, light, and extinguishing.
This is pretty characteristic of a “very rare” weapon, although the actual abilities themselves don’t quite feel like they hold up their end of the bargain.
Of course, before we start talking about how good this is, let’s look at how it actually works.
The first two parts of this weapon are incredibly straightforward. The blade deals 1d6 extra cold damage, and you get resistance to fire damage while holding it.
The latter is definitely impressive as fire damage is one of the most common damage types in 5e, but the extra damage you deal is really lackluster for a weapon of this rarity.
Next up, in freezing temperatures, this sheds a bit of light. Freezing temperatures are an environment that can cause exhaustion, but they aren’t necessarily dark.
This feels like the answer to a very specific environmental problem that just simply isn’t going to be in most campaigns.
Lastly, you get to snuff out a bunch of nonmagical flames, something a level-1 druid could do with a cantrip and a couple of minutes at the most.
Is the Frost Brand a Good Magical Item?
Honestly? No. This weapon has one good ability (fire-damage resistance), one okay ability (extra cold damage), one highly situational ability, and one useless flourish.
While this collection of abilities isn’t bad on its own, it certainly isn’t indicative of a very rare item, which is the highest rarity tier before unique legendary items.
Frost Brand has so much potential. In order for it to be good though, it needs some changes.
As a kid, I was often told to get my head out of the clouds and to stop living in a fantasy world. That never really jived with me, so I decided to make a living out of games, stories, and all sorts of fantastical works. Now, as an adult, I aspire to remind people that sometimes a little bit of fantasy is all you need when life gets to be too much.
