D&D (2024) Random magic item tables

[abirdcall]

Thanks to someone (@Oofta ?) for the text list of the 2024 DMG magic items I have put together random item tables.

These are not equally random. I made some decisions of which items I want to see more of and I removed the cursed items.

I thought others might get some benefit from it. At the very least the random spell scroll lists should help when needing to come up with some spell scrolls on the spot.

 

[Lanefan]

Looks good in general - we could quibble all day about the relative rarities etc. but I like that you've done this as a starting point.

My only real question is why did you remove all the cursed items? As the main point of this would seem to be as an aid to DMs placing random treasure in adventures, is it your intention that PCs should never find cursed items? If yes, why?

 

[abirdcall]

I think cursed items should be intentional.

They are disruptive and only serve to make the PCs cast identify. And is that fun?

Ultimately I just don't like the design of any of them. I think they need to be more interesting. They are rare enough that it is easy to just make 00 a cursed item if that is desired.

I use traps and mimics sparingly but just enough that the players are suspicious of a lot. I don't need that with magic items too when the solution is just a mundane spell.

 

[Lanefan]

I think cursed items should be intentional.

They are disruptive and only serve to make the PCs cast identify. And is that fun?

IMO they should be casting Identify fairly often if-when they can, and treating magic items with a fair degree of suspicion. I'm also a big fan of field-testing items rather than just have them tell you their properties after a period of attunement.

Ultimately I just don't like the design of any of them. I think they need to be more interesting. They are rare enough that it is easy to just make 00 a cursed item if that is desired.

I use traps and mimics sparingly but just enough that the players are suspicious of a lot. I don't need that with magic items too when the solution is just a mundane spell.

Did 5e do away with the costs of casting said mundane spell? It used to require a 100+ g.p. pearl, and also (in 1e) knocked the caster flat for 8 hours; which means casting it isn't always the best thing to do at the time and pearl supply can be a major limiter.

Also, it can be fun to have an item that's both useful and cursed at the same time - for example a horde-summoning sword of giant-slaying that's cursed such that if you become aware of a giant (even at a great distance) you are forced to draw the sword and charge to the attack with your summoned horde. I've known (and played!) characters who would line up to get their hands on such a weapon.

 

[abirdcall]

IMO they should be casting Identify fairly often if-when they can, and treating magic items with a fair degree of suspicion. I'm also a big fan of field-testing items rather than just have them tell you their properties after a period of attunement.

Did 5e do away with the costs of casting said mundane spell? It used to require a 100+ g.p. pearl, and also (in 1e) knocked the caster flat for 8 hours; which means casting it isn't always the best thing to do at the time and pearl supply can be a major limiter.

Also, it can be fun to have an item that's both useful and cursed at the same time - for example a horde-summoning sword of giant-slaying that's cursed such that if you become aware of a giant (even at a great distance) you are forced to draw the sword and charge to the attack with your summoned horde. I've known (and played!) characters who would line up to get their hands on such a weapon.

Yeah, but then you don't play 5e right?

These tables are for 5e. In 2e or earlier I would agree with you. It's just a nuisance now.

Identify requires that you have a 100gp pearl but it doesn't consume it on casting.

Cursed items are so rare as to be a 'gotcha'.

In "The Wandering Inn" series I love adventurers use poles to carefully put magic items into storage containers they can carry back with them. Some of the magic users can identify the weaker items but they mostly need to pay a lot to enchanters to find out what curses they have. I love that world building and it keeps magic mysterious. Also, magic items of lower quality interfere with other ones so there could be disastrous mishaps when trying to use too many items.

But that isn't what 5e is set up for. I either want to have curses be a regular thing with interesting methods of divining or just not have them. Having them be a nuisance that has no impact just isn't worth it.

And yeah items that are useful and have drawbacks are fun. And that is what the items are, sort of, in 5e but they also take away the player agency. People are just not going to have a good time with them.

 

[James Gasik]

It doesn't help that not everyone can cast identify either. If you make players cast the spell (or my personal favorite alternative, augury), every time they think about attuning to or using a magic item, I foresee a lot of "unknown items" lurking in backpacks and not being used until the party gets downtime in a large town somewhere.

Then again, remove curse exists, which makes the process even sillier. "Cast a spell to know the thing is safe to use, or cast a spell to undo the effects of the curse" becomes trivial after awhile.

*Sure, you could make a magic item that can't have it's curse removed, but given that there are no viable alternatives, not to mention it's literally what the spell is for, it's just going to annoy the players even more, unless the juice is worth the squeeze, like an item that becomes more powerful once it's curse is overcome.

Of course, in my case, I seed magic items that I intend the party to use in rougher encounters, and it'd be pretty ridiculous to have a ring of acid resistance that nobody dares use until long after they fight the black dragon it was intended for.

Further, back in my AD&D days, any time someone found a magic item with unknown properties, there was always an annoying couple of encounters where you'd have the player saying "I hit AC 4 and deal 7 damage...plus or minus whatever properties this sword might have".

I've ruled that most magic items in my campaigns will identify themselves (with some noted exceptions), largely to do away with ad hoc systems like rolling Arcana checks and swinging items about while saying whatever nonsense the players think might be command words (think the scene in Spider Man "Up up and away web!"). The players have one that does require research as a downtime activity, but given that they don't know if it's worth it, as opposed to all the other things they could do, up to and including crafting their own items, it's been collecting dust for months of real world time now.

 

[Lanefan]

It doesn't help that not everyone can cast identify either. If you make players cast the spell (or my personal favorite alternative, augury), every time they think about attuning to or using a magic item, I foresee a lot of "unknown items" lurking in backpacks and not being used until the party gets downtime in a large town somewhere.

Exactly, and I'm just fine with this.

It's a choice for them: risk using it now and potentially gain the benefits of doing so, or not use it until after the next downtime if ever.

Then again, remove curse exists, which makes the process even sillier. "Cast a spell to know the thing is safe to use, or cast a spell to undo the effects of the curse" becomes trivial after awhile.

Remove Curse isn't guaranteed to work though...at least not the verion I'm used to.

Of course, in my case, I seed magic items that I intend the party to use in rougher encounters, and it'd be pretty ridiculous to have a ring of acid resistance that nobody dares use until long after they fight the black dragon it was intended for.

I very rarely if ever do this, if only to keep them from meta-thinking: "Ah, that gives acid resist, we must have an acid trap or a Black Dragon coming up".

But even then, many's the time they had an item carefully stowed away that, if used, could have made a big difference.

Further, back in my AD&D days, any time someone found a magic item with unknown properties, there was always an annoying couple of encounters where you'd have the player saying "I hit AC 4 and deal 7 damage...plus or minus whatever properties this sword might have".

What's wrong with that? I've always had the combat matrix be fully DM-side info anyway, so they never know what AC they can hit. And so it's "I roll 10 on the die, plus 1 for Strength and 1 for Prayer plus whatever the sword gives me". Simple as pie.

I've ruled that most magic items in my campaigns will identify themselves (with some noted exceptions), largely to do away with ad hoc systems like rolling Arcana checks and swinging items about while saying whatever nonsense the players think might be command words (think the scene in Spider Man "Up up and away web!"). The players have one that does require research as a downtime activity, but given that they don't know if it's worth it, as opposed to all the other things they could do, up to and including crafting their own items, it's been collecting dust for months of real world time now.

I'm the opposite. In character (!) I once wrote a guide to field-testing magic items which somehow ended up getting fairly wide dissemination in the setting, to the point where "Lanefan's Guide" became the go-to manual for field-testers.

An item that identifies itself should be a rare occurrence and can be played for laughs: for example on being wielded (and every time it's wielded henceforth!) a sword might speak in Common: "Hello. I am your plus 2 longsword. Please handle me with care as my blade is very sharp, and do not expose me to extreme heat, cold, or acid as such things may cause loss of enchantment. I prefer to be used against Giants as I am particularly good at slaying such. Enjoy your combat, and have a nice day."

 

[Horwath]

Also, it can be fun to have an item that's both useful and cursed at the same time - for example a horde-summoning sword of giant-slaying that's cursed such that if you become aware of a giant (even at a great distance) you are forced to draw the sword and charge to the attack with your summoned horde. I've known (and played!) characters who would line up to get their hands on such a weapon.

Shield of missile attraction is a great item on a tank.

it gives tank a tool to do it's job.

 

[Distracted DM]

Does Identify reveal curses in 5e24? I thought it didn't in 5e14.

 

[abirdcall]

Does Identify reveal curses in 5e24? I thought it didn't in 5e14.

It says it reveals the properties of the item and there is no mention that I found in the spell or in cursed items that gives exception to this in 2024.

It is actually most of the usefulness of the spell for magic items.

Otherwise it is just for learning what spells are active in a creature.