What you will find below is a reference detailing the steps one should take in order to "safely" create a wholly unimagined tool in any magically inclined worker or adventurer's arsenal. Magic items, artifice, whatever word you have for it, these are the instructions. It can be a bit complex, of course, so don't feel bad for skimming it and throwing something together without reading it thoroughly if you're new to it. The Voices, both Greater and otherwise, are often happy to help tweak and adjust things you may have overlooked during the invention process.
These rules give structure. They offer guidance, but much like the overwhelming majority of players in this game, the handbook is the least touched part of the game before it's begun. Make what your heart desires, share your idea, and the Greater Voices will help you fine tune it until you are familiar enough to know which parts of the rules to check when you need, and otherwise... well, just make fun things and fun stories! At the end of the day, that's really what the game is about, isn't it? (If you have to tag one of them, bother Wraith unless one of the others volunteers to be included).
-Pandora, speaking on behalf of the Greater Voices
If you have questions about the general rules relating to craft, or understanding what exactly a
Formula is, refer to
Craft and Craftsmen. Otherwise, do continue! There are hundreds of items in D&D's official catalogues, but as many of us have experiencing on more than one occassion, hundreds is still not enough. Something is not quite right with this item, or that particular effect you're looking for is nowhere to be found, and you'd like to make it so. Thus, we've created rules to support making homebrew magic items from the most common belongings to the most legendary possessions.
To create a new formula, you need to know its
Use,
Type, and
Properties. Once you know your options, you make a request in
blame-a-gan (detailed later) and assuming it's approved, all that's left to do is start
researching and
crafting it like any other magic item!
Use
Magic items in D&D have a wide range of properties and traits that influence how often the item can be used before it breaks or becomes non-magical, if ever. We group this into one of four options:
- Permanent. The effect can be used indefinitely, provided the item is worn, carried, or attuned.
- Multi. The effect can be used a limited number of times, but it regains spent uses at regular intervals (typically dawn or after a long rest).
- Limited. The effect can be used a limited number of times, but never regains spent uses. Once it uses its last charge, the item loses the property and usually becomes non-magical, breaks, or is otherwise disposed of.
- Single. The effect can be used once, after which the item becomes non-magical, breaks, or is disposed of.
Some items have magical effects that fall into different property groups; to keep things simple, always use the "highest" group that applies.
For example, the scarab of protection is a legendary item with two effects:
- A permanent property that gives the attuned wearer advantage on saving throws.
- A limited property that allows the wearer to turn a failed save to a success up to 12 times, provided the appropriate conditions are met.
As permanent is higher than limited in the grouping order, the scarab is considered a permanent item even though it has a limited effect that will break the item once the last charge is spent.
Type
All items in D&D fall into one of nine
Types, which dictate how the item generally works and has some influence on the item's magical capabilities, once you decide on them. If the item's is anything other than single-use (i.e., limited, multi, or permanent), it will gain a number of charges depending on the item's type.
- Armor (3 charges). Armor refers to a worn outfit or carried shield (refer to Market Catalogue for specific options).
- Potion (1 charge). The potion must usually be ingested or applied topically for its magical effects to occur.
- Ring (3 or 6 charges). A worn accessory that normally has three charges. If the ring requires attunement, it has six.
- Rod (???). A held item that stores one or more potent or unusual magical effects. A typical rod's number of uses entirely depend on the properties it's given, but usually has no more than 1 - 3 uses a day.
- Scroll (1 charge). A sheet of parchment or similar item that, when used, replaces the need for a spell slot and other material component costs of casting a spell or magical effect.
- Staff (10 charges). Use the weapon properties of a quarterstaff. A staff can be used as an arcane focus.
- Wand (7 charges). Like a rod, wands don't usually have a practical use beyond their magical properties, though all work as arcane focuses.
- Weapon (3 charges). A held item used to inflict harm (see Market Catalogue for specific options).
- Wondrous Item (3 charges). Any item that doesn't neatly fall into any of the above categories is considered a wondrous item. They typically have no distinct use or properties beyond their magical properties.
Properties
Where the magic happens, literally. Your item's properties are its magical abilities, both minor and major, and dictate how powerful the item is and its relative rarity as a result. Some properties even allow the item to "break the mold" so-to-speak, like the
staff of power's increase of 10 charges to 20 charges, with the stipulation that using the last charge risks breaking the whole item. We measure the approximate strength of an item's magical properties using a system we call
Frequency and
Tuning, Frequency being the measure of its strength using a point value, and Tuning showing the options you have available to you and how to request new options.
Frequency & Tuning
Frequency is a made-up value with no real meaning, but we needed to start
somewhere to keep things consistent and fair for everyone. All items, with the exception of single-use items, have an effective limit of
fifteen (15) "tuning points" they can give to a magic item before it is considered a legendary item and can grow no stronger without becoming an
Echo. The more magical traits you give your item, the more points it gains until it reaches that 15-point limit and can grow no stronger.
How do you determine how many points the item gains per trait?
To make this simple, we've assigned a point value to every rarity and type of item, as detailed in the below chart. Starting from a frequency of 0, add points based on the properties you give it.
For example, say you have a sentinel shield and would like to invent a version that lets you shoot a fireball once per day. The fireball spell is a 3rd level spell, and its spell scroll is considered uncommon. Since the effect we want will be useable once per day, unlike a spell scroll which can only be used once, we add points for a multi-use uncommon item (+4). Since the sentinel shield itself is an uncommon permanent (+6), our new item will have a frequency of 10 (out of 15).
Single-use items are an exception; you may choose to replicate the effects of existing items or request approval on potentially new effects in
blame-a-gan; if there isn't a comparison to an existing item to effectively gauge the intended rarity of your item, compare its relative power to the different levels of spells in D&D. If your effect is equivalent in nature to, say, casting the spell fireball on a creature, then its equivalent to a third level spell and therefore an uncommon magical effect. If the effect isn't something already established in D&D or approved by the Greater Voices, it's not permitted for use in your invention or in play, so make sure to request approval.
Otherwise, an item's rarity is determined by its frequency.
- A score of 0 is non-magical.
- A score of 1 - 2 is common.
- A score of 3 - 6 is uncommon.
- A score of 7 - 10 is rare.
- A score of 11 - 14 is very rare.
- A score of 15 is legendary
Inventing the Item
Now you've put your item together, you know what kind of item you're making, you know its rarity, and got the necessary approvals for any effects you've made up for your item, you get first dibs on "discovering" its blueprint. In your crafting space, note what you're inventing (provide the item description) then follow the rules for discovering an item's formula in
Craft and Craftsmen.
The Damn Dirty Lists (Previously Approved Effects
Coming Soon(tm).
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