If you have ever played a Monk in Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition, you know the struggle. It starts off great. You’re punching things, you’re dodging, you feel like a martial arts movie star. Then the party hits level five or six. The Fighter gets a +1 Longsword. The Paladin finds a holy avenger. Suddenly, your fists—while cool—start feeling a bit like you're hitting a brick wall with wet noodles. For a long time, the game didn't really have a direct answer for this, at least not a standardized one. Then Bigby’s Glory of the Giants dropped, and honestly, it changed the math for unarmed builds forever by introducing wraps of unarmed prowess.
It's such a simple item. Basically, they are strips of cloth or leather you wind around your hands or feet. But in the weirdly specific economy of D&D items, they fill a massive gap.
How Wraps of Unarmed Prowess Actually Work
Most people get confused because they expect these to work exactly like a +1 weapon. They kind of do, but with some specific caveats. According to the official text in Bigby Presents: Glory of the Giants, these wraps come in three rarities: Uncommon (+1), Rare (+2), and Very Rare (+3).
When you're wearing them, you get that bonus to your attack and damage rolls with unarmed strikes. Simple, right? But here is the kicker that most players overlook: they also make your unarmed strikes count as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage.
Wait.
If you are a Monk of 6th level or higher, you already have Ki-Empowered Strikes. You already bypass that resistance. So, are these wraps useless for high-level Monks? Not even close. You still need that "to-hit" bonus. As enemy Armor Class (AC) climbs in higher tiers of play, the Monk’s accuracy often plateaus. These wraps are the primary way to keep your "DPR" (damage per round) competitive with the Great Weapon Master Fighter who just picked up a Vorpal Sword.
The Attunement Cost
You have to attune to them. This is the part that sucks. In 5e, you only get three attunement slots. If you're a high-level character, those slots are precious. You’re choosing between a +2 bonus to your punches or something like a Ring of Protection or Bracers of Defense.
It’s a tough call.
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However, if you are playing a Tavern Brawler Fighter or a Barbarian who likes to grapple and punch, these wraps are non-negotiable. Unlike Monks, those classes don't get a natural way to make their fists magical. Without these wraps, a level 12 Barbarian punching a Werewolf is basically just doing a very aggressive massage. With the wraps, you're a legitimate threat.
The Math Behind the Punch
Let's look at the numbers because numbers don't lie.
D&D is a game of bounded accuracy. A +1 bonus sounds small. It isn't. It’s a 5% increase in your total chance to hit. When you are a Monk using Flurry of Blows, you are attacking four times a turn. That +1 (or +2 or +3) is applied to every single one of those attacks.
If you're using the Very Rare +3 version, and you have a 20 Dexterity, your attack modifier is +13. Against an adult Red Dragon (AC 19), you only need to roll a 6 or higher to hit. That is incredibly consistent. Without them, you need a 9. It’s the difference between being a reliable damage dealer and being the guy who misses half his Flurry of Blows and wastes his Ki points.
Why These Are Better (and Worse) Than the Insignia of Claws
Before Glory of the Giants, everyone used the Insignia of Claws from Hoard of the Dragon Queen.
The Insignia is great because it doesn't require attunement. You just wear it. But the Insignia only goes up to +1. There is no +2 or +3 version. So, in the early game (levels 1-5), the Insignia is actually superior because it saves you an attunement slot. But once you hit the "mid-game," you need the scaling that wraps of unarmed prowess provide.
I’ve seen DMs try to homebrew items that combine the two, but strictly by the books, you have to choose. If I'm playing a dedicated striker, I'm taking the wraps every single time once I can find the +2 version. The accuracy jump is just too significant to ignore for the sake of an open attunement slot.
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Creative Uses for Your Wraps
Don't just think about hands. The item description is flavor-text friendly. You can wrap these around your feet for a kick-heavy build. You could theoretically wrap them around your head if you’re a particularly aggressive Minotaur or someone who likes headbutting.
One thing people ask a lot: "Do these work with Natural Weapons?"
Strictly speaking, the rules distinguish between "unarmed strikes" and "natural weapons" (like claws or bites). However, many newer races like the Tabaxi or Leonin have traits that say their claws can be used to make unarmed strikes. If your racial trait says your claws are used for unarmed strikes, the wraps apply. If you're a Druid in Wild Shape? No. A Bear's claws are considered "Natural Weapon Attacks," not unarmed strikes. It’s a bit of a "Rules as Written" (RAW) headache, so always check with your DM, but usually, the answer is a heartbreaking "no" for the Moon Druid.
Finding Them in Your Campaign
These aren't exactly items you just find at a local blacksmith. They are specialized. Since they were introduced in a giant-themed book, it makes sense to tie them to giant-kin or ancient martial arts monasteries.
If you are a DM, consider placing these as rewards for:
- Winning an underground fighting pit tournament.
- Defeating a high-ranking member of a rival monastery.
- Recovering them from the tomb of a legendary goliath wrestler.
They feel more personal than a sword. A sword is a tool; wraps are an extension of the body. There’s something more visceral about finding a legendary set of leather wraps that still smell like the sweat and ozone of a storm giant.
The Downside of Rarity
The Very Rare version (+3) is effectively an endgame item. At that point, you’re competing with Staffs of Power and Holy Avengers. The issue is that the Monk class, in general, struggles with "itemization." While a Paladin gets to feel awesome with a glowing sword, the Monk just gets... slightly better bandages.
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It’s a bit of a flavor fail by Wizards of the Coast, honestly. If you're a player, ask your DM if you can describe the wraps as glowing with elemental energy or having runes that flare up when you strike. It makes the +3 feel like the legendary artifact it actually is.
Strategy for Players
If you're building a character right now and you want to use these, prioritize your ability scores first. Don't rely on finding a +1 item to make your build viable. A Monk needs high Dexterity and high Wisdom.
Once you have those, look for the wraps.
If you're a multiclasser—say, a Fighter/Monk or a Barbarian/Monk—the value of these wraps skyrockets. A Fighter with the Unarmed Fighting Style does 1d8 damage with their hands. Adding +2 or +3 to that on top of Action Surge makes you a terrifying force on the battlefield. You’re essentially a human-sized wrecking ball.
Common Misconceptions
- They don't stack with other +X weapons. You aren't holding a weapon. You are punching.
- They don't affect your AC. People often confuse them with Bracers of Defense. They are strictly offensive.
- They don't increase your martial arts die size. A level 1 Monk with +3 wraps still does 1d4 + 3 + Dex damage. They make you more accurate and hit harder, but they don't change your base training.
Final Practical Takeaways
When you're looking to optimize an unarmed build, the path is usually pretty narrow. You want these wraps as soon as you can afford the attunement slot.
Start by checking your current "to-hit" bonus against the average AC of the monsters your DM is throwing at you. If you find yourself needing to roll a 12 or higher just to graze an enemy, you are falling behind the math of the game. That is your signal to start hunting for these.
Next steps for your character:
- Talk to your DM about the availability of items from Bigby Presents: Glory of the Giants.
- Compare the benefit of the +1 bonus against your other attuned items; if you have a Cloak of Protection, the +1 to AC might be better for a "tanky" Monk, while the wraps are better for a "striker."
- If you're a non-Monk unarmed fighter, prioritize these over almost everything else to ensure you can actually damage ghosts, golems, and demons.
- Save your gold. These aren't cheap. An Uncommon +1 item usually runs 100-500 gold, but a Very Rare +3 can cost upwards of 50,000 depending on your DM’s economy.
The wraps of unarmed prowess aren't just an optional accessory. They are the "fix" for the unarmed math problem in 5th Edition. Use them to make sure your martial artist stays relevant from the first goblin encounter all the way to the final boss.