The 10 Best Weapons For Sorcerers in D&D 5e [Ranked]

The world of D&D lets adventurers pick and choose between various ranged and melee weapons.

However, some weapons stand out above the rest, fitting an adventurer’s background, build, flavor and simply giving more useful stats to that character.

In the case of Sorcerers, their backstories and playstyles mainly include magical staffs, wands, daggers, and, at times, crossbows.

Sorcerers use all kinds of magic to provide utility, damage, and support to their party, so items relating to those specific aspects are generally the most desired.

Sorcerer Weapon Proficiency

• Simple weapons (daggers, darts, slings, quarterstaffs, and light crossbows)

Best Weapons for the Sorcerer in 5e

10. Dagger

Cost: 2 GP

Damage: 1d4 Piercing

Weight: 1 lb

Properties: Finesse, Light, Thrown (20/60)

Explanation

Sorcerers will always have better spells than the weapons they can wield, but Daggers are good utility weapons to carry around.

You could use it to make opportunity attacks, but that means you’re too close to the combat, as Sorcerers are extremely squishy.

9. Light Crossbow

Cost: 25 GP

Damage: 1d8 Piercing

Weight: 5 lbs

Properties: Ammunition, Range (80/320), Loading, Two-handed

Explanation

The Light Crossbow will do more damage than most of your Cantrips before level 5 (if you have 14 Dexterity), so you can take it if you want to deal some damage.

However, other than that, it isn’t too good, but it can leave you with more spell options (that aren’t offensive spells) early in the game.

8. Staff of Charming

Rarity – Rare (requiring attunement by a Wizard, Warlock, Sorcerer, Druid, Cleric, or Bard)

Item Type – Staff

Description

Holding the staff lets you use an action to expend 1 charge of 10 to cast Comprehend Languages, Command, or Charm Person, using your spell save DC. You can also use the staff as a magical quarterstaff.

Failing a save against an Enchantment spell targeting you while holding the staff lets you turn your save into a successful one. This property cannot be used again until the next dawn.

Succeeding on a save against an Enchantment targeting you, with or without the staff’s intervention, lets you use your reaction to expend 1 charge, turning the spell back on its caster as if you cast the spell.

The staff will regain 1d8 + 2 expended charges each day at dawn. Expending the last charge forces you to roll a d20, and on a 1, the staff becomes a nonmagical quarterstaff.

Explanation

Sorcerers have high Charisma and would do well to use the Staff of Charming to their advantage.

It also helps Sorcerers obtain spells without having to learn them, which is a life-saver, as they can only learn so many spells.

You can even turn back Enchantment spells on their caster, which can be very useful when enemies start using more spells.

7. Wand of Fireballs

Rarity – Rare (requiring attunement)

Item Type – Wand

Description

The wand has 7 charges, and while holding it, you may use an action to expend 1 or more charges to cast Fireball (save DC 15).

Using 1 charge lets you cast the 3rd-level Fireball, but you can increase the spell slot level by one for each additional expended charge.

The wand will regain 1d6 + 1 expended charge each dawn. Expending the staff’s last charge forces you to roll a d20. Rolling a 1 causes the staff to turn into ashes, destroying it.

Explanation

While Fireball is a good spell, it might not always be the best option, and because Sorcerers have limited spells they can learn, the Wand of Fireballs is a good option in those times.

It provides Sorcerers with a way to deal damage if they’re mainly focusing on control, utility, defense, or supportive spells and gives them a way to defend themselves.

6. Staff of Defense

Rarity – Rare (requiring attunement)

Item Type – Staff

Description

Holding the staff gives you a +1 bonus to AC. The staff has 10 charges, which are used to fuel the spells within it. 

Holding the staff lets you use an action to cast one of the following spells if they’re on your class’s spell list: Mage Armor (1 charge) or Shield (2 charges). Components are not required.

The staff will regain 1d6 + 4 expended charges each dawn. Expending the staff’s last charge forces you to roll a d20. Rolling a 1 causes the staff to shatter, destroying it.

Explanation

Sorcerers can’t and won’t always have defensive spells prepared or learned, so the Staff of Defense is a great way to make sure you can defend yourself.

It also allows you to get your hands on two great spells without preparing or learning them.

5. Rakdos Riteknife

Rarity – Legendary (requiring attunement)

Item Type – Weapon (dagger)

Description

Gain a +1 bonus to damage and attack rolls with this weapon. Slaying a creature with an attack using the dagger imprisons its soul within the dagger. 

The creature can only be brought back to life by the Wish spell, and the dagger can hold a maximum of five souls.

Each soul imprisoned in the dagger makes your attacks deal an extra 1d4 Necrotic damage on hit. While the dagger is within 5 feet of you, your dreams will be haunted by whispers from the souls you’ve trapped.

Siphon Vitality – Using a bonus action lets you release any number of stored souls from the dagger to regain 1d10 HP per released soul.

Annihilation – This property can be used if the dagger holds five souls.

Using a reaction immediately after hitting and damaging a creature, you may release the 5 souls.

If the target has fewer than 75 HP afterward, it must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution save or die. If it dies, you can’t use this property again until you’ve finished a long rest.

Explanation

Sorcerers can easily be turned to the dark side, and since they like holding Daggers just in case, the Rakdos Riteknife could make a good addition to their kit.

Its ability to steal souls to increase damage and heal enormous amounts of HP is fantastic, but it all comes at a cost.

Not only will you have bad dreams at night, but there is a chance that you’ll eventually give in to its overwhelming evil and turn to the darkness.

4. Rod of Absorption

Rarity – Very Rare (requiring attunement)

Item Type – Rod

Description

Holding the rod lets you use your reaction to absorb a non-AoE spell targeting you. The spell’s effect is canceled, and its energy (not the spell itself) is stored in the rod at the same level as the spell when it was cast.

The rod can store and absorb up to 50 levels of energy throughout its existence. Once 50 levels are absorbed, it can’t absorb more. Being targeted by a spell the rod can’t store means the rod has no effect on that spell.

Becoming attuned to the rod shows you how many levels of energy the rod has absorbed and how many levels of energy it currently has.

Spellcasters holding the rod can convert its energy into spell slots to prepared or known spells. You can only create spell slots at a level equal to or lower than your own spell slots up to 5th level. 

You will use the stored levels in place of your slots, otherwise, the spell is cast as normal. Example: 3 levels in the rod can be used as a 3rd-level spell slot.

A newly found rod has 1d10 levels of energy stored in it already. A rod that can no longer absorb spell energy and has no energy remaining will become nonmagical.

Explanation

The Rod of Absorption is perfect for Sorcerers who have an abundance of spells but can’t always choose what to prepare and what not to.

Whether you want extra damage, more defense, or fantastic control spells, the Rod of Absorption allows you to cast them all.

3. Wand of the War Mage

Rarity – Uncommon (+1), Rare (+2), Very Rare (+3) (requiring attunement by a spellcaster)

Item Type – Wand

Description

Holding the wand lets you gain a bonus to your spell attack rolls, which are determined by the wand’s rarity.

When making a spell attack with the wand, you’ll also ignore half cover.

Explanation

Wand of the War Mage is one of the best offensive items you can get your hands on.

It’s a simple item that gives you a rarity-determined bonus to your spell’s attack rolls.

That might not seem like much, but when you don’t have unlimited resources, each hit counts more than you’d think.

2. Blade of Broken Mirrors

Rarity – Artifact (requiring attunement by a humanoid)

Item Type – Weapon (dagger)

Description

Sentience – Sentient Chaotic Evil weapon with Intelligence Wisdom of 24, Charisma of 24, and Intelligence of 21. It has darkvision and hearing to a range of 120 feet.

It also communicates telepathically with the one who wields it, understanding Abyssal and Common.

Personality – Ragazuu, an insane glabrezu, lives within the dagger, yearning for chaos, learning from the principles of its wielder and using it to its advantage.

Dormant – The dagger has abilities in its dormant state:

• Can speak, read, and write Abyssal.
• Gain +1 bonus to damage and attack rolls with this weapon, and making a ranged attack with this weapon immediately returns it to your hand.
• Killing a humanoid with the dagger allows the blade to remember the creature’s appearance. Holding the dagger allows you to use an action and change your form to match any humanoid it remembers.

Only your size changes, no other statistics, and the equipment you’re carrying or wearing isn’t changed. Using an action lets you revert to your true form. You’ll automatically revert to your true form after dying.

• If the dagger is attuned by a new wielder, all prior appearances are wiped.

Awakened – The dagger has abilities when its awakened state:

• Bonus damage and attack rolls increase to +2.
• Holding the dagger lets you use an action and cast spells from it (DC 15): Fabricate, Hallucinatory Terrain, Major Image, or Phantasmal Killer. 

A spell that has been cast like this cannot be cast again until the following dawn.

Exalted – The dagger has abilities when its Exalted state:

• Bonus damage and attack rolls increase to +3.
• Save DC for spells cast using the dagger increase to 17.
• Holding the dagger lets you turn invisible by using an action. Anything you’re carrying or wearing is also invisible.

You’ll remain invisible until you stop holding the dagger, attack, cast a spell forcing a creature to make a saving throw, or use a bonus action to become visible again.

Explanation

The Blade of Broken Mirrors is a great Dagger to add to your Sorcerer if you want to build a stealthier Sorcerer who uses their Charisma to get out of acts of mischief.

It gives you the ability to cast a few extra spells, go invisible, and even change form. You even get a nice bonus to attack, determined by its rarity.

1. Staff of the Magi

Rarity – Legendary (requiring attunement by a Wizard, Warlock, or Sorcerer)

Item Type – Staff

Description

This staff may be wielded as a magic quarterstaff, granting a +2 bonus to damage and attack rolls. Wielding it also gives you +2 spell attack rolls.

It has 50 charges, regaining 4d6 + 2 expended charges each day at dawn. Expending the last charge forces you to roll a d20. Rolling a 20 lets the staff regain 1d12 + 1 charges.

Spell Absorption – Holding the staff gives you advantage on saving throws against spells. You can also use your reaction when a creature casts a spell only targeting you.

Doing this makes the staff absorb the magic of the spell, canceling the effects and gaining charges equal to the spell’s level. But, if this brings the staff’s total charges above 50, the staff explodes, activating Retributive Strike.

Spells – Holding the staff lets you expend some of its charges to cast certain spells: 

Flaming Sphere (2 charges), Invisibility (2 charges), Knock (2 charges), Web (2 charges), Dispel Magic (3 charges), Ice Storm (4 charges), Wall of Fire (4 charges), Passwall (5 charges), Telekinesis (5 charges), Conjure Elemental (7 charges), Fireball (7th-level version, 7 charges), Lightning Bolt (7th-level version, 7 charges), Plane Shift (7 charges).

Certain spells can also be cast without any charges, only using an action:

Protection from Evil and Good, Mage Hand, Light, Enlarge/Reduce, Detect Magic, and Arcane Lock.

Retributive Strike – Use an action to break the staff against a solid surface or on your knee to perform a Retributive Strike. This destroys the staff, releases its remaining magic, and explodes to fill a 30-foot radius centered on it.

There is a 50% chance to instantly travel to a random plane of existence, avoiding its explosion. Failing to avoid the effect means you will take Force damage that’s equal to 16 X the number of charges in the staff.

Creatures in the area must make a DC 17 Dexterity save. Failing means the creature takes damage depending on how far away they are from the point of origin. Succeeding in the save means the creature takes only half the damage.

Explanation

The Staff of the Magi is one of the most powerful magical staffs out there, and its power turns an ordinary spellcaster into a near god.

It not only leaves its use with an excessive amount of free spells but it can also be used as a magical Quarterstaff to inflict damage on enemies who get too close.

You can even absorb spells and turn them into charges to continue blasting spells without care!

Final Thoughts

For the most part, each class in D&D has its most used or beloved weapon that is both iconic and functional.

Though some of these weapons might not be the best D&D weapon overall, they remain the best option for that character at the moment.

A good example would be choosing between a staff and a wand, as certain staffs can also be used as melee weapons, while wands can’t and have more menial properties – for the most part.

In the end, whether you decide to take a conventional or unconventional weapon, as long as you like it and it fits your playstyle, you should roll with it!