this post was submitted on 31 Oct 2025
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Would you like an online tool to generate magic items by category WITH associated exact prices (lemmy.world)
submitted 1 week ago by Kevo@lemmy.world to c/dnd@lemmy.world
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As a DM, my biggest complaint about the magic item shop generators online is the lack of exact price. Most come with a rarity, but I personally feel like the vast range in prices is too great for me to just plug and play. For example: I feel like a cloak of displacement is much more valuable than say a Berserker's Axe, even though they're both "Rare". So I felt like when players asked for a shop, I had to take time and read up on the item and then assign a price.

Would you use an online tool that was free (with like Google ads on side panels or something) that had associated exact prices (randomized between 75% and 125% and assigned value) that had a sliding scale based on something everyone probably has figured out for their world, like the price of a potion of Healing?

I've made a python script for my own personal use, and I'm thinking about turning it into a full web application. But I wanted to get your opinions on if this a tool you would like?

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[โ€“] Kevo@lemmy.world 3 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Totally valid! I personally run a very high magic world where enchanted items are fairly common. Mind you most things above Uncommon in rarity are very expensive or quest rewards. I like the feeling of magic being a constant in my world, so I like to pepper in items that I wouldn't normally know about because I haven't read all of them.

But I think for DM's who run worlds closer to yours, I'll probably add a filter so you can exclude anything of a certain rarity or base price out. Thanks for the feedback!

[โ€“] modernangel@sh.itjust.works 2 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

To address your original question more squarely - I might use such a resource if it was free. First because the rarity tiers are poorly thought out and second because even if characters are networking through factor/dealers instead of browsing a shopkeeper's dispaly case - you still have to assign a price.

The 1st Edition DM's Guide gave every wondrous item its own specific gold piece value. The relative valuations weren't perfect but I was shocked when I came back to D&D in 5E to find per-item valuation was abandoned. If I was going to tackle the problem myself, I'd refer to the 1E DMG valuations as a starting point for consumables like potions and scrolls, then consult a few of the most popular "magic item tier guide" articles to supplement 5E's overly broad and internally flawed valuation by arbitrary rarity tags.

Classic example, the merely "Uncommon" Weapon of Warning is arguably a keeper all the way to endgame. Many DMs even nerf away its party-wide benefits entirely, because making the whole group reliably immune to surprise is game-breaking. You could gain the same personal benefit, and free up the attunement slot, by spending a precious Feat slot to take the Alert feat - but even that doesn't compare with also making all allies within 30' immune to surprise.

If you survey the 1E magic item valuations, it helps to be aware that a) attunement slots weren;t a thing - you could equip a lot more magic! Also, b) wands in general and many other "spend a charge" items did not regain X number of charges every day. A Wand of Fireballs with 50 charges was worth about 50 Scrolls of Fireball - and when you spent the last charge, it was just a nonmagical stick again.