You’re staring down a group of bugbears in a cramped corridor. Your spell slots are dry. The fighter is looking rough. Suddenly, you remember that dusty little statuette in your pack. You toss it. A literal living creature appears out of thin air to wreck shop. That’s the magic of a figurine of wondrous power. It’s not just a toy. It’s basically a pocket-sized tactical advantage that most players forget they even have until things go sideways.
Honestly, people obsess over +3 Holy Avengers or Staffs of Power, but those are just numbers. A figurine? That’s flavor. It’s utility. It’s a friend when the rest of the party is unconscious. These items have been a staple of Dungeons & Dragons since the early days—appearing in the 1st Edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Dungeon Master's Guide back in 1979—and they’ve barely changed because the concept is just that solid.
What Exactly Is a Figurine of Wondrous Power?
Basically, it’s a tiny carving of an animal. Small enough to fit in a pocket. If you throw it on the ground and speak the command word, it becomes a real, flesh-and-blood creature. Or sometimes a metallic version of one. The rules are pretty specific: the creature is friendly to you and your allies. You can talk to it. It understands your languages. Most of them have a time limit, though. You can’t just have a pet Griffon 24/7. Once the time is up, or if the creature drops to 0 hit points, it turns back into a statuette. Then you have to wait. Sometimes for a few hours, sometimes for an entire week.
Each version of the figurine of wondrous power has its own "recharge" time and specific quirks. This is where the strategy comes in. You don't just use these for every random goblin encounter. You save them.
The Heavy Hitters: From Obsidian Steeds to Golden Lions
Not all figurines are created equal. Some are utility-focused, while others are straight-up combat monsters. Take the Obsidian Steed. This thing is legendary. It’s a nightmare horse. If you’re lucky, it acts like a Phantom Steed. If you’re unlucky—or if you aren't "good" aligned—there’s a 10% chance every time you use it that it just takes you to the Lower Planes and leaves you there. That’s a classic Gary Gygax move right there. High risk, high reward.
Then you've got the Golden Lions. Usually, they come in pairs. You get two lions for the price of one attunement slot (well, in 5e they actually don't require attunement, which is a massive win). They have the Pounce ability. If you use them together, they can lock down a battlefield. But if one dies, it’s gone for a full week. That’s a long time to wait in a dungeon crawl.
The Ivory Goats are arguably the weirdest. There are three of them: the Goat of Traveling, the Goat of Travail, and the Goat of Terror.
- Traveling: Basically a pack mule that never gets tired.
- Travail: A combat powerhouse with giant horns that deals massive charge damage.
- Terror: It emits an aura that makes enemies flee in literal fear.
Most people just want the Goat of Travail because, let’s be real, hitting things for 4d8+4 damage is satisfying. But the Goat of Terror is the one that actually saves lives when you're being swarmed by undead.
The Silver Raven: The Scout You Didn’t Know You Needed
Small. Unassuming. The Silver Raven is often overlooked because it doesn’t deal damage. It’s a bird. It has 1 hit point. But it can be used to send messages like the Animal Messenger spell. In a world without cell phones, being able to send a literal bird to the king across the continent is a game-changer. It lasts for 12 hours. You can cover a lot of ground in 12 hours.
Why the Action Economy Changes Everything
In D&D 5e, the "action economy" is king. Whoever has more turns usually wins. That’s why a figurine of wondrous power is so statistically significant. When you toss a Bronze Griffon, you aren't just adding a creature; you're adding an entire set of actions, reactions, and a massive pool of "buffer" hit points.
Every hit the Griffon takes is a hit your Wizard didn't take. It’s essentially a temporary meat shield that can also fly 80 feet per round.
Think about the Serpentine Owl. It can turn into a Giant Owl. It has "Flyby," meaning it can swoop in, attack, and leave without taking an opportunity attack. It’s the ultimate harasser. If you’re a DM, these things are a nightmare to account for because they bypass traditional encounter scaling. Suddenly, the party of four is a party of five, and the fifth member is a giant bird with 120-foot darkvision.
Common Misconceptions and Rule Snags
People often mess up the "recharge" rules. If you use a Marble Elephant (which is a CR 4 creature, by the way—absolutely massive for a Rare item), you can only use it for 24 hours every 7 days. Some players think they can "short rest" the figurine. Nope. The item's magic literally needs time to settle back into the stone.
Another big one: can the figurines talk? Usually, no. They understand your commands, but they don't have human intelligence unless the specific item description says so. You can't ask your Ebony Fly for tactical advice. It’s a giant fly. It knows how to fly and how to buzz. Don't overcomplicate it.
Also, people forget about the "Back to Stone" trigger. If the figurine drops to 0 HP, it reverts instantly. You can't heal it back from the brink or use Revivify on it once it's a rock again. It’s done until the recharge period ends. This makes protecting your figurine just as important as using it.
Creative Ways to Use Your Figurines
Don't just use them for hitting things.
The Marble Elephant is basically a siege engine. Need to break down a gate? Don't use the Barbarian's head. Use the 10,000-pound elephant. It has a "Trampling Charge." It can literally level structures.
What about the Bronze Griffon? Sure, it’s a mount. But it’s also a way to bridge a chasm. It’s a way to scout a mountain peak without climbing. It’s a way to distract a dragon while the Rogue sneaks into the hoard.
I once saw a player use a Silver Raven to bait a trap. They knew a monster was lurking in a dark hallway, so they sent the bird in first. The monster lunged, missed the tiny target, and revealed its position. Raven turned back to stone, player picked it up, and they had the surprise round. Smart. Kinda mean to the bird, but smart.
The Evolution of the Item
Back in the early editions, there were even weirder ones. The Guiding Star figurine or the Iron Cobra. Over the years, Wizards of the Coast narrowed it down to the "classic" set we see in the 5e Dungeon Master’s Guide. But if you're a DM, you should totally homebrew some.
Why not a Quartz Chameleon that gives the user a bonus to Stealth? Or a Malachite Badger that can burrow through solid rock to create escape tunnels? The mechanic of "Item becomes NPC" is one of the most flexible systems in the game. It rewards creativity over just "I swing my sword."
How to Get One (And What to Pay)
In most 5e campaigns, figurines are "Rare" items. According to the Sane Magical Item Prices guide—a popular community resource—you’re looking at anywhere from 4,000 to 10,000 gold pieces depending on the animal.
If you're at a table using the Xanathar’s Guide to Everything downtime rules, you might spend weeks searching for one. It's worth it. If you have the choice between a +2 weapon and a Marble Elephant, take the elephant. You can find another sword. You can't always find a pocket-sized prehistoric tank.
Specific Tactics for Players
- Read the cooldown. Don't waste a 7-day recharge on a petty fight.
- Check for "No Attunement." Most figurines don't require it. This makes them perfect for the "full" character who already has three items.
- Use them as mounts. Even the smaller ones can often carry a Halfling or a Gnome.
- Action Economy. Use your bonus action (if the DM allows) or your main action early in the fight to get the creature on the board. The longer it's out, the more value it provides.
Final Practical Advice
If you’re a player, keep a separate "Pet Sheet" for your figurine. Don't make the DM look up the stats for a Lion or a Giant Fly in the middle of a session. Have the HP, AC, and attacks ready to go. It makes the game smoother and keeps the DM from regretting giving you such a powerful item.
Next time you see a weirdly shaped rock in a loot pile, don't ignore it. It might just be the thing that saves your entire party from a TPK. Go check your inventory. If you don't have one, start dropping hints to your DM. Tell them you’re interested in "collecting ancient statuettes." They’ll get the hint.
Start by looking at the Bronze Griffon stats in the Monster Manual. It’s the perfect middle-ground figurine—not too broken, but incredibly useful. If you can handle the responsibility of a 24-hour recharge, it’ll change the way you play the game. Just don't let it fall off a cliff. Stone breaks, after all.