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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[–] JackbyDev@programming.dev 4 points 1 week ago (1 children)

5e (at least 2014 edition) fumbled magic items so hard.

  • Magic items aren't needed! You should be able to play without them.
  • Magic items are fun and players want them.
  • Magic items are too difficult to price!
  • Actually has a price for them but they're hidden on different tables and inaccessible.
  • Buy and selling magic items should be difficult! It requires a lot of work.
  • DM just rolls and rolls on a table until the shop has anything actually relevant to the players that's actually useful but then it's way too overpriced.

I just want +1 items. That's it. Why are those so impossible to get? Why do we have to go through this whole song and dance for the sake of realism when d&d flat out admits that other items are priced for balance and not simulating an economy?

The only way to really do them "right" is to sort of give your DM a wishlist of items and then lo and behold they show up as loot in a dungeon. But why??? Whyyyyyy??? Just let me shop for them. I don't care. I'm not going to raid the shop. I'm not going to arm the pesants with stolen +3 gear to lead an assault. I will suspend my disbelief if you just let me fucking buy and sell magic items in a way that isn't totally bullshit!!!!! AHHHHHHHHHH!!!

[–] Kevo@lemmy.world 3 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Fair! I'm hearing that a lot in this thread, so maybe there's not as much of a desire for this as I thought. I think I must run a more high magic world than most people. Those are all super valid complaints, and I'm hoping that having an actual suggested price point will help that. Ya know, buybat this price, sell it like 50% - 80% that price. Do you mind if I ask if you think this website would help you? Or would you just consider it more useless blpat to the process? L

[–] JackbyDev@programming.dev 3 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Any tool that lists magic items with the price is strictly more useful than ones that don't. So yes.

My personal opinion on it is to list the prices RAW, whatever the formula is. Or the range of prices. Rather than trying to homebrew some rules and use those in the site. I only say that because you seem very interested in making a useful tool moreso than useful rules and most people play the rules as they are in the book (generally). Or at least, there isn't really a rule that isn't in the books that a majority of players use.

[–] Kevo@lemmy.world 2 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Oh yeah, I've already gotten a list of items and prices, and I generally followed the price guidelines listed in the DMG (uncommon 100 - 500 gp, rare 500 - 5,000 gp, etc). There were some outliers, but yeah. My biggest worry is that my arbitrary opinions on prices will not vibe with what ither people think. I'm floating ideas of possibly trying to crowd source this to the internet somehow to get people's opinions. Thanks for the feedback!

[–] JackbyDev@programming.dev 3 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I think the crowd sourcing prices sounds like a good follow-up project. Because there are definitely issues. One that comes to mind is a potion of flying costs significantly more than a broom of flying.

[–] Kevo@lemmy.world 2 points 1 week ago

Absolutely! I agree that the potion should be a little more expensive. Its just a flat 60 feet no stipulations or concentration. Where the broom is 60 feet, 30 if its carrying over 200 lbs, and you could get knocked off. I also do variants of a lot of potions where they last until a long rest for things like resistance and stat bonuses. For reference, my broom of flying is 125 gp, and my long rest potion of flying is 500 gp.