We all know that a +1 Sword is boring. It should be something special. So I thought to myself, why can’t mundane items be special too? I know somebody probably smarter than me already thought of something like this. There were Masterwork Items in 3rd Edition but I want to take this a little bit further.
Think of this as more of cinematic approach to this idea. The Masterwork Items were just better at what they did. There were literally the mundane +1. Instead have the items give bonuses to other things. That pitch black armor; bonus to Hide In Shadows. The gnarly plate mail with demon head, intimidation. That sexy armor. Ahh, you can figure that one out. Even throw this idea at weapons. A razor sharp dagger? Bonus to surgery or cut purse. A cloak that offers better camouflage.
Not only game mechanic bonuses, you can also throw in setting specific ideas. A type of sword that is specific to a culture or order. Or maybe only given to the bravest of warriors. Did the characters earn it or take of a dead body? And of course how will others react to that? Of course, you can this idea for magic items but I’m talking about mundane items on this post.
Not every item needs to be special but throwing in a few can add just we bit of spice into the campaign.
They Might Be Gazebos! 
I don’t know if this was a house rule or if it came from some early sourcebook, but one of the first games I played in had mithral armor and weapons. You couldn’t buy them, only find them as part of a treasure and they were rare. Weapons were +1 to hit, armor was +1, but they didn’t count as magical for hitting spectral creatures. They were basically priceless and instantly recognizable from the color of the metal, so anyone who carried one gained a reputation as a badass. (And was a target.)
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Thanks. I think I remember that too.
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