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A character in our game ended up with two neck items. One Periapt of something and a the other an amulet of something (ie, they're different items). Can a character wear two magic items around their neck and gain the magical benefits from both?

I'm also assuming there's no issues with attunement: either the items don't attune or the character has enough attunement slots left for both items.

Lino Frank Ciaralli
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DForck42
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3 Answers3

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Yes

Specifically, DMG pg. 141 (or here in the Basic Rules):

Multiple Items of the Same Kind

Use common sense to determine whether more than one kind of a given magic item can be worn. A character can't normally wear more than one pair of footwear, one pair of gloves or gauntlets, one pair of bracers, one suit of armor, one item of headwear, and one cloak. You can make exceptions; a character might be able to wear a circlet under a helmet, for example, or be able to layer two cloaks.

Since wearing two necklaces is something that I, as an Italian, had mastered at a very young age (right after making vowel sounds when surprised and slicking my hair back with far too much gel), it seems to me that an adventurer who regularly fights dragons, demons and the undead should be able to handle this without much effort.

Community
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Lino Frank Ciaralli
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    Bling: it helps us slay dragons! – KorvinStarmast Apr 12 '17 at 17:06
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    I chuckled at the Italian wearing necklaces reference. Funny. Real. – JP Chapleau Apr 12 '17 at 17:18
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    In other words, “D&D 5e doesn't share 3.5e's item slot concept”. – SevenSidedDie Apr 12 '17 at 17:32
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    The reference to gloves is interesting, it's actually common to wear a very thin pair of gloves under a heavy-duty pair: one for warmth, one for protection, so I could see wearing thin silk/leather gloves under mail/plate gauntlets. – Matthieu M. Apr 12 '17 at 17:52
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    That's why it says can't normally. I would also permit gloves under gauntlets, however those would usually be the padding included with the plate. Yes, I would also permit replacing the padding with the magical gloves in question. The three item attunement cap takes care of this being overpowered. – Lino Frank Ciaralli Apr 12 '17 at 18:35
  • @LinoFrankCiaralli you might add some of the info from the comments into your answer – DForck42 Apr 12 '17 at 19:59
  • None of it really helps add to the answer, or I would. – Lino Frank Ciaralli Apr 12 '17 at 20:10
  • @LinoFrankCiaralli -- seconded on "normally" re: gloves -- electricians and linesmen working "hot" use a double-glove setup consisting of leather "protector" gloves over voltage rated insulating gloves as part of their PPE for that sort of work, for an IRL double-gloving case. – Shalvenay Apr 13 '17 at 03:26
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    You can make exceptions; - literally part of the quoted text. – Lino Frank Ciaralli Apr 13 '17 at 03:37
  • @Shalvenay seems to be the more prudent choice compared to plate over silk. – Ghanima Apr 13 '17 at 22:28
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DMG pg. 141 says "use common sense" in this situation.

It's not uncommon for people to wear two necklaces/chains, and there's nothing RAW that specifically prevents it. So yes, they could wear more than one necklace and gain the magical properties thereof. It would be up to the DM to decide how many necklaces/amulets one could feasibly wear "as intended."

Jesse Cassino
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    while your answer has about the same info, I accepted the other because it actually references the text in its answer – DForck42 Apr 12 '17 at 19:57
-7

Actually, it's a bit more complicated. Yes, a character can wear two objects, even magical objects, round his or her neck if this is physically possible. Or three, four or whatever number of objects.

But can both objects can work their magic at the same time? If a game permits two magical objects to operate at the same time (such as a ring and a wand), then presumably two necklaces could both work.

Unless their magic interfered with each other, as with one spell to make you invisible and another spell to make you look irresistibly beautiful.

But, hey, magic has it's own crazy rules. If the DM says No, then that's how it is in that particular universe.

Felix M
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    this... has no actual bearing on the rules and is just opinion and speculation. this doesn't actually answer the question – DForck42 Apr 13 '17 at 16:09