The Gravewarden Bracers offer unique necrotic protection and spectral abilities for DnD 5e players. Perfect for enhancing your character’s capabilities.
✨ Item Overview
The Gravewarden Bracers are fashioned from elegantly articulated bone segments, each piece adorned with protective runes and bound with dark leather straps. These bracers bridge the world of the living and the dead, offering a +1 bonus to AC and a window into necromantic power that most adventurers shy away from.
How to Use in Play
The passive Bone Ward gives you advantage on saving throws against Necrotic damage — excellent for characters who expect to face undead or shadow-touched enemies. This alone makes the bracers valuable in undead-heavy campaigns.
The active Ghostly Grasp is where things get interesting: once per short rest, you summon a spectral hand that functions as Mage Hand but can also deal damage. Use it for utility — picking locks, triggering traps from a safe distance — or as a surprise attack against unsuspecting enemies. The DC 14 Dexterity save means even Rogues will sometimes take the full 2d6 Necrotic.
- Best used by Clerics, Warlocks, and Wizards who already have necromantic themes
- The Deception disadvantage is a real cost — plan your social interactions accordingly
- The spectral hand can interact with objects in ways standard Mage Hand cannot
The bracers grow colder as night falls. By midnight, you almost expect them to whisper a name.
🔑 Key Facts
- Type: Armor (bracers)
- Requires attunement
- Rarity: Rare
- +1 to AC
- Advantage on saving throws against Necrotic damage
- Ghostly Grasp deals 2d6 Necrotic damage
- Disadvantage on Charisma (Deception) checks
- Free VTT / Foundry download available
📜 Item Stats
| Type | Armor (bracers), requires attunement |
| Rarity | Rare |
| Attunement | Required |
| AC Bonus | +1 to AC |
| Bone Ward (Passive) | Gain advantage on saving throws against Necrotic damage. |
| Ghostly Grasp (Active) | Once per short rest, summon a spectral hand as Mage Hand. On touch, deals 2d6 Necrotic damage (DC 14 Dexterity save negates). |
| Drawback | While attuned, you have disadvantage on Charisma (Deception) checks as ghostly whispers surround you. |
Crafted in the crypts beneath the sunken city of Vel-Morath, where gravekeepers ritually bound the bones of honored dead into protective armor, these bracers were last worn by Dunhallow the Keeper — who vanished into the deepest vault, never to return. Whoever holds them reports hearing a low, constant murmur in an unknown tongue, and the bones feel faintly warm despite their pale appearance.
🎲 Free Magic Items for DnD
Want to use Gravewarden Bracers in your campaign? Download the free token below — perfect for VTTs like Roll20 or Foundry, or print it out for your table!
⚔️ Foundry VTT Macro
Create the Gravewarden Bracers directly in your world — with one click.
This Script Macro creates two fully configured items in Foundry VTT: the Gravewarden Bracers item and the Ghostly Grasp feature, complete with Active Effects, damage rolls, saving throws, and an unidentified state for mystery-first reveal at the table. No modules required. Recharge: 1× per short rest.
In Foundry, click the macro hotbar at the bottom. Click any empty slot or open the Macro Directory and hit Create Macro.
In the macro editor, make sure the type is set to Script (not Chat). Give it a name like Gravewarden Bracers.
Copy the macro below, paste it into the editor, and click Save Macro.
Click the macro button in the hotbar. Optional: select a token first — items will be added directly to that character’s sheet. With no token selected, they appear in the World Items sidebar.
Macro & item by RuneForge Studio · Free to use in your campaign
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
What are the key features of Gravewarden Bracers?
The Gravewarden Bracers provide a +1 AC bonus, advantage against Necrotic damage, and the ability to deal Necrotic damage with Ghostly Grasp.
Where were the Gravewarden Bracers crafted?
These bracers were crafted in the crypts beneath the sunken city of Vel-Morath, where gravekeepers ritually bound the bones of honored dead into protective armor.
Do the Gravewarden Bracers require attunement?
Yes, the Gravewarden Bracers require attunement. Once attuned, you gain the +1 AC bonus, advantage on saves against Necrotic damage, and can use the Ghostly Grasp ability.
What is the drawback of the Gravewarden Bracers?
While attuned, you have disadvantage on all Charisma (Deception) checks, as ghostly whispers constantly surround you and reveal your intentions to perceptive observers.
What classes benefit most from Gravewarden Bracers in DnD 5e?
Clerics and Warlocks benefit most from the Gravewarden Bracers — Clerics of the Grave or Death domain gain both the defensive AC bonus and thematic synergy with Necrotic mechanics, while Warlocks with the Undead or Undying patron gain a second source of Necrotic output from Ghostly Grasp. Rogues also appreciate the +1 AC since they can’t normally wear heavy armor.
How does Gravewarden Bracers compare to similar official DnD 5e items?
Compared to the Bracers of Defense (which grant +2 AC with no attunement cost when not wearing armor), the Gravewarden Bracers trade some raw defense for the active Ghostly Grasp ability and Necrotic resistance — a meaningful choice for offense-leaning characters.
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