Looking to challenge yourself with a different type of character?
Here are 6 Interesting Ways to Play DND as a Magic Hat!
If you have seen this set of “bad” ideas, then you have probably thought about how exactly you would play the magic hat riding the mannequin (I have).
These 6 magic hat ideas are mostly balanced to make it reasonable to play, with drawbacks and extras.
So without further ado, here are 5 different ways to play as a magic hat in your next dnd campaign
1. Warforged with a hat
This option I think is the most boring build, you basically just level up your character as you normally would with any character, the magic hat is just for flavour (unless it gets separated from the body.. Then you insta-die).
But you can choose to dress up your warforged however you want, have any personality style and don’t have too many drawbacks for companions and NPCs because you look mostly normal.
Keyword mostly.
I like to play a little crazy, so this is the character I came up with, the stats are basically the same no matter how you play (of course talk to your DM about it!)
Character specials:
- Auto get mage hand
- If the magic hat gets separated from your body, it goes limp until the magic hat uses ‘mage hand’ on itself to be put back together.
First-level stats can be found here (link) further level stats are available to buy here (link) (for crazy cheap and to keep this blog going!)
Backstory Idea
Ancient dwarves deep in the mountain of Don’mora had first started building constructs to resemble what currently constitutes the warforged. Mages and artificers were abundant and trading between them created a flourishing ecosystem of knowledge and magic.
Unfortunately, a deadly plague swept through the mountain and killed any dwarf or elf wizard that did not get out in time. This left behind many magical items, forges, creations and other wondrous things.
Left in the darkness was a hat named Calcipher (insert your own name here). It had been the familiar of one of the wizards who lived deep in the mountain, hand-made by one of the top artificers in the clan. Alone it sat, ages alone after being surrounded by bustle its entire life.
Finally, it couldn’t take anymore, it used its magic to read all the magical books in the steel forge, using mage hand on itself to move it from place to place and turn pages.
After learning all it could, with heavy loneliness, it decided it was time to leave this place in search of new friends.
It attached itself to one of the most advanced robots that the dwarven had invented, and started making its way out of the cave.
After not talking to anyone in thousands of years, this adventure will be one to remember.
2. Relinquished Deity (Magic hat on mannequin)
This idea is based on a deity type of power that needs adventure and gives up a LOT of power in exchange for some legs.
The way to balance this one is in the backstory, you can choose a few more variations on your character creation with it as well, like for example, it might have been around a lot of other people so the charisma is not as bad, but strength would be a lot lower due it being a flimsy mannequin.
This particular character comes with a bit of flare (IMO gods are flashy) and I chose Garl Glittergold (Gnome god of luck, protection and trickery). If I’m being honest, I totally picked Garl because his last name is Glittergold, like what?! Love it!
No matter what you choose for your mannequin to wear, the personality you choose for your hat deity should be coming through. And don’t be afraid to put on some heirs, you are top shit if you forgot.
Backstory Idea
It’s time for another adventure. Maybe a little longer this time. But since you like a challenge, you commission your top gnome artificer to create a human-looking mannequin. You do not explain why. She makes it for you, putting love and effort into its making. When it’s finished (within a day) you take the doll into a room with its maker and start a ritual around it and a hat you think will look epic with it.
You ask the maker to fix anything that might be wrong with it before it leaves and to put your body in a safe place while you are away. She is extremely unsure about all this and does not hide her uneasiness.
As the ritual finishes, your body falls limp and with a blue flash around the hat, it comes to life. The maker rushes towards your body, but you, in your new doll body, hold up a hand to her… But it doesn’t move! Oh no, the ritual seems to have gone wrong somehow. You speak… A female voice comes out of the hat.
Oh boy.
After a quick think, you realize your consciousness has been attached to the hat instead of the mannequin. You look over at your body, it’s still breathing and in good shape, she has already gotten to it to double-check.
You speak and your unfamiliar female voice asks her to reprogram the doll to work with your commands. At first, she is unsure about you with this new body and new voice… But after much calming down, she helps you get everything sorted out.
“Oh Garl” she sighs, “what have you done now”
After some test runs with your new body and it now being attached to your hat consciousness, you start getting ready to leave.
You take the gun from your body and a small backpack that you had brought into the room with supplies you think you might need.
With that, you wave goodbye and leave, ready to see what you can find.
3. Suit of Armour (Wizard)
If you are worried about the talking aspect of a hat with no mouth or want to have a little bit of suspicion and intrigue around your character, then this is probably the build for you.
First of all, what kind of wizard wears a full suit of armour?
Basically, the magic hat stays inside the armour at all times. This way you get a little more protection if you like to play in the thick of things, but still have some drawbacks to make it a playable character that isn’t too OP.
Also, it’s suspicious AF! Who sleeps in armour? Nobody. Maybe people with major trust issues who are worried about being stabbed.
But essentially you are Alphonse from ‘full metal alchemist’ in basically every way.
First-level stats can be found here (link) further level stats are available to buy here (link) (for crazy cheap and to keep this blog going!)
Backstory Idea
Made by wizards in the far east, Chapeau (insert your own name here), is trying desperately to escape her makers. A freak accident during experimentation ended up turning her into a hat. If it was of her own volition, she might be down for this, but since she has been their guinea pig for years, all she really wants to do is get away as far and as fast as she can.
After the accident, she kept quiet in an attempt to fool the wizards into thinking she was a failed experiment. It worked. When she ended up getting tossed out, she grabbed the closest armour suit and started making her way out of the complex and towards the bazaar.
Since she was able to do a lot of her previous magical skills (as a wizard) she was able to convince some sailors to take her to the next closest area, but not before a page from the complex saw what had conspired.
The page took this information back to the complex and told them what happened. Upon realizing their mistake of letting her go, a group was sent out to reclaim her.
Since then she has gained some ground on them and is looking for other adventurers to help her hide and lower suspicion. She is slightly nervous around magic users and prefers the company of rangers, rogues, fighters or other physical combat type focus.
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Or, you could totally just go with Alphonse from the Full Metal Alchemist story, win-win.
4. Rogue-looking cloak
Basically Dr. Strange’s (Marvel) cloak.
Literally, any colour or style that you want, instead of just a magic hat, you are a hat and billowy cape. This build is more support related rather than a damage solo (But you would still be able to hold your own).
There actually is a magic item for “Billowing cape” it’s totally useless and 100% just for flavour, we will make this one a bit more useful, able to move around on its own. For the intents of this build, it is unable to talk at all, instead relying on charades, guessing and putting itself into different shapes to relay what it needs.
This can be difficult for some players, or perfect depending on how shy they are or how creative!
First-level stats can be found here (link) further level stats are available to buy here (link) (for crazy cheap and to keep this blog going!)
Backstory Idea
No one knows how this cape was made or where it comes from, just that it was sitting inside a glass case in a collection of an old and powerful wizard.
Unfortunately for the wizard, and fortunately for the cape, a young thief broke in and in his effort to steal a scroll, he was a clumsy idiot and knocked over the glass case containing the cape.
Tasting freedom for the first time in ages, the cape helped the thief find what he was looking for and ushered him out of the homemade museum and into freedom.
The thief naturally tried to claim the cape as his, but the cape was done with that. It choked and murdered the thief, allowing it to escape and find an adventure of its own.
It has a deep mistrust of humanoids, especially magic users, but is wanting to find other creatures to be around. It has a helpful nature as long as it’s not contained in any way.
5. Warlock Patron
This is the MOST versatile for personal flavour and ability changes. If you are playing with this style, it’s because you want to be a badass and can literally customize anything you want because YOU are the patron.
Pick your deity, your loser warlock sucker to sign your deal, and of course your outfit.
Think of this build as playing ‘the ring’ from ‘Lord of the rings’.
Since I go big or go home, I would like to introduce you to Sushi Vega! Sushi was originally introduced to our games as a player character in a one-shot, and has been used by almost every DM in multiple games we have played including full campaigns. We will soon have some one-shots based around Sushi Vega in the store (coming soon).
So naturally, since this is a blog based around Lolth, I had to go with a Lolth deity patron. It has powers related and the same alignment/attitude.
First-level stats can be found here (link) further level stats are available to buy here (link) (for crazy cheap and to keep this blog going!)
Backstory Idea
Deep in the drow Underdark city of Menzoberranzan, a drowcraft master by the name of Krendaer Ousstyl forged a tiara for his house matron to be blessed by Lolth. She was a powerful matron and poured more magic into it, and had it blessed by lolth. Lolth decided to go further and bestow her own power into the tiara, creating an extension of her own being.
For centuries the Matron wore it, and her house prospered. Over time she started to grow weak with old age, and the other houses started to notice her family vying for her place and weakening their own house with backstabbing and treachery.
Finally one of the older sisters killed the mother matron, but another sister saw the act. By being caught, the sister lost Lolth’s favour and the tiara she carried turned against her. It fell down from the noble area and into the slaves’ quarters.
A lowly bugbear of all things saw it fall from the sky and land in the midst of garbage and fecal matter. It knew the tiara immediately and knew to stay away from it until the chaos calmed down.
At that exact moment, an attack from a lesser house came.
Hundreds of army drow came in, this was the perfect time for the bugbear and its few friends to make an escape attempt.
He grabbed the tiara and left. The other slaves fighting and dying beside him on their way out.
They made it through the city to the outskirts and beyond, only to die trying to get water from a giant underground cavern. The tiara falls into the water, lost.
Over thousands of years, the waves pushed it around until eventually, it found itself in salty blue water, sparkling light filtering down.
Two stark white hands reached down and grabbed it, bringing it up to the surface.
The tiara spoke to the man who found it, “who are you and where am I?”
The man let out a girly squeal, “oooooh, my Gawd! You are talking!” The tiara was not impressed. But the strange man continued, “what’s your name?”
The tiara had never been asked its name before, only told. “Talice’s Malice” it responded.
They talked back and forth getting to know each other better, the Tiara mostly just listening, annoyed at the ramblings of this clearly deranged human.
The man wanted to be an adventurer but was a drunk, cross-dressing fisherman. An idea came to the Tiara, “I will use him to get myself home!” It was perfect, this dimwit wanted to be an adventurer, it needed legs.
The deal was struck and the contracts signed, now for the journey to get back to Menzoberranzan.
6. The Scarecrow
This build is more so if you have a character that’s kind of coming in and out of the campaign rather than a full-time player.
Imagine the scarecrow from ‘Howls moving castle’ the one that is cursed and just pops in from time to time, waiting for its curse to be removed
In fact, might even be more of an NPC or solo quest kind of character, but here it is
This player may also work for more advanced dnd players looking for a super challenge.
No words, no real movement besides hopping up and down, limited skills, basically only a support character.
First-level stats can be found here (link) further level stats are available to buy here (link) (for crazy cheap and to keep this blog going!)
Backstory Idea
You were just a normal peasant, doing normal things, walking along minding your own business, when BAM you feel some magic come over you and you find yourself turned into a scarecrow with a magic hat.
It is an extreme spell, no idea who did this to you or why.
Also, why do you have a shovel?
Step 1, figure out what even happened.
Step 2, figure out how to end it.
In The End
There are probably 100 different ways to make the magic hat work, but here are 6 ways to make the magic hat work.
Of course, each build and backstory should be run by your dungeon master to make sure everything is groovy and good to go (don’t forget), hopefully, they have no issues and you will be off to the races!
Comment below if you have other fantastic magic hat playing ideas 🙂
