Magic Item Crafting - Introduction & Terms

A Note Before Starting

Several sections in the rules I have laid out in the following articles are intentionally vague in order to give Dungeon Masters flexibility in how they approach crafting items in their setting. In general, these rules are likely to make your players more powerful unless you are playing in a high-magic setting already and give the players any magic items they want. To counter this, consider drastically restricting the supply of materials, particularly those with an influence and use these as a reward in place of already existing magic items. More optional rules and considerations may be found in chapters 5 and 6.

Abstract

Dungeons and Dragons 5^th edition only includes nebulous rules for the crafting of magical items and offers no guidance on crafting custom items. Xanathar's Guide to Everything contains some additions to the base rules on such items including updating monetary values and the timeframes required in fabrication. However, there is a need for a more fully-fledged crafting system for players who are interested in creating their own works - particularly if they are roleplaying a character obsessed with tinkering and inventing.

The following rules and guidance are inspired by other, half-finished systems online and by the many video games that contain crafting mechanics. The aim is to present a system that, at its core, allows for the creation of all the items found within 5^th edition sourcebooks as well as custom items designed by DMs and players. The general concept for crafting a magic item is as follows:

Magic Item = Crafting Materials + Expertise + Spellcasting Ability + Time

Each section of these rules will focus on each of these components in turn.

Magic Items

The term “magic item” is used broadly and can refer to consumables such as potions and scrolls; items with charges such as magic wands; permanent enchanted items such as a ring of cold resistance or even articulated items such as golems. Magic items also have a rarity ranging from common to legendary which gives a rough estimate of when a player character is likely to possess them. Within this system, we are discarding the minor/major item distinction made in Xanathar’s Guide to Everything. All magic items can be divided into the following types and minimum monetary values:

Magic Items & Values

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Rarity	Material	Consumable	Limited	Recharging	Permanent
Common	10gp	50gp	60gp	80gp	100gp
Uncommon	50gp	250gp	300gp	400gp	500gp
Rare	500gp	2,500gp	3,000gp	4,000gp	5,000gp
Very Rare	5,000gp	25,000gp	30,000gp	40,000gp	50,000gp
Legendary	25,000gp	125,000gp	150,000gp	200,000gp	250,000gp

The values contained in the table above are just estimates of value and should represent the minimum price a merchant is likely to be willing to sell for.

• Material - The raw bits and pieces that are turned into finished products. More impressive items require more materials to be made.
• Consumable - Potions and scrolls fall into this category, as does anything else that is permanently expended once used. These items require three crafting materials.
• Limited These are items that have multiple charges/uses but are still permanently expended. The item itself may remain in a mundane form after the magic is exhausted – like a ring of three wishes. They require four materials.
• Recharging - These are items that have limited uses that regenerate over time. They may be usable once a day or may regenerate a number of charges at dawn. A wand of magic missiles or an alchemy jug fall into this category. These items require six materials to craft
• Permanent - Items that have a continuous effect or an at-will, usable effect with no limitations are permanent. A holy avenger sword or a ring of jumping are permanent items. These require eight materials to craft.

Table of Contents:

• Introduction & Terms
• Materials & Influences
• Formulating an Item
• Checks & Progress
• Help & Hindrance
• Optional Rules

Related Articles:

• Butchery
• Herbalism
• Poisonmaking