Secret Lesson 99

Magic Item Basic Rules

Lesson 98 completed the:

GAMEPLAY TOOLBOX

Now we begin a new major section of the course:

MAGIC ITEMS

Magic items are among the most iconic rewards in a 5E role-playing game.

A character might discover:

A MAGICAL SWORD

AN ENCHANTED SHIELD

A POTION

A MYSTERIOUS RING

A WAND

A STAFF

A SPELL SCROLL

or something far stranger, such as:

A BAG OF HOLDING

But finding a magic item doesn't automatically mean the character understands:

WHAT IT DOES

HOW TO ACTIVATE IT

WHETHER IT REQUIRES ATTUNEMENT

HOW MANY MAGIC ITEMS CAN BE ATTUNED AT ONCE

WHETHER IT HAS CHARGES

WHETHER IT IS CURSED

or:

WHETHER IT CAN BE DESTROYED

The SRD 5.2.1 establishes a complete framework for all of these questions. Magic items belong to nine categories, have a rarity, may require identification or Attunement, and can use activation systems such as command words, charges, or spell casting.

This lesson teaches those universal rules before Lessons 101–103 begin the individual:

MAGIC ITEMS A–Z

PART ONE — WHAT IS A MAGIC ITEM?

Magic items are extraordinary objects that can grant capabilities a character might rarely possess otherwise or enhance abilities the character already has. The SRD presents them as treasures that might be recovered from defeated monsters or discovered in lost vaults.

The important rules principle is:

A MAGIC ITEM IS STILL AN ITEM

Its magical nature doesn't erase all the ordinary rules that apply to:

ARMOR

WEAPONS

OBJECTS

EQUIPMENT

or:

SPELLCASTING

Instead, its specific magic item description adds:

SPECIAL RULES

EXAMPLE

A magical Longsword is still:

A LONGSWORD

It still uses the normal Longsword rules unless the magic item's description:

CHANGES SOMETHING

A magical Shield is still:

A SHIELD

Its magical properties are added to:

THE NORMAL SHIELD

unless the item says otherwise.

This is another example of:

GENERAL RULE + SPECIFIC EXCEPTION

PART TWO — THE NINE MAGIC ITEM CATEGORIES

Every magic item belongs to one of:

NINE CATEGORIES

 

Category SRD Example
Armor +1 Leather Armor, +1 Shield
Potions Potion of Healing
Rings Ring of Invisibility
Rods Immovable Rod
Scrolls Spell Scroll
Staffs Staff of Striking
Wands Wand of Fireballs
Weapons +1 Ammunition, +1 Longsword
Wondrous Items Bag of Holding, Boots of Elvenkind

These categories are important because they determine some of the item's:

GENERAL PHYSICAL RULES

and sometimes:

HOW IT IS USED

PART THREE — ARMOR

A magic item in the:

ARMOR

category is normally a magical version of armor found in the Equipment rules.

Unless its description says otherwise:

THE ARMOR MUST BE WORN

for its magic to function.

SPECIFIED ARMOR TYPE

Some magic armor tells you exactly what it is.

For example:

PLATE ARMOR

or:

CHAIN MAIL

In that case:

USE THAT ARMOR TYPE

UNSPECIFIED ARMOR TYPE

If the magic item doesn't specify the type of armor:

THE TYPE CAN BE CHOSEN OR DETERMINED RANDOMLY

according to the Magic Item rules.

IMPORTANT

A magical suit of armor doesn't automatically grant:

ARMOR TRAINING

If a character lacks the training required for the armor:

THE NORMAL ARMOR-TRAINING RULES STILL MATTER

unless the specific item says otherwise.

EXAMPLE

A Wizard finds magical Plate Armor.

The armor being magical doesn't automatically mean:

THE WIZARD CAN USE IT WITHOUT CONSEQUENCES

The character still follows the armor rules unless:

THE ITEM SPECIFICALLY OVERRIDES THEM

PART FOUR — POTIONS

A:

POTION

might be:

A MAGICAL LIQUID TO DRINK

or:

AN OIL APPLIED TO A CREATURE OR OBJECT

A typical potion contains:

1 OUNCE OF LIQUID

in a vial.

POTIONS ARE CONSUMABLE

When a potion is used:

IT IS USED UP

Its magic doesn't normally remain in the empty vial.

DRINKING A POTION

Drinking a potion requires:

BONUS ACTION

ADMINISTERING A POTION TO ANOTHER CREATURE

Also:

BONUS ACTION

 

This reinforces the rule we already learned with:

POTION OF HEALING

OILS

Applying a magical oil might take:

LONGER

The item's own description tells you:

HOW LONG

IMMEDIATE EFFECT

Once used:

THE POTION TAKES EFFECT IMMEDIATELY

and:

IS USED UP

EXAMPLE

A Fighter has:

8 HP REMAINING

and drinks a Potion of Healing.

Cost in action economy:

BONUS ACTION

The potion takes effect:

IMMEDIATELY

Then the potion:

IS GONE

PART FIVE — MIXING POTIONS

This is one of the strangest rules in the Magic Item section.

A character can potentially:

DRINK ONE POTION WHILE ANOTHER IS STILL ACTIVE

or:

MIX MULTIPLE POTIONS IN ONE CONTAINER

But magical ingredients can interact:

UNPREDICTABLY

When two potions are mixed:

ROLL 1D100

on the:

POTION MISCIBILITY TABLE

 

POTION MISCIBILITY TABLE

d100 Result
01 Both lose their effects; mixture explodes in a 5-foot-radius Sphere, dealing 4d10 Force damage to every creature in the area
02–08 Both lose their effects; mixture becomes an Ingested poison chosen by the GM
09–15 Both potions lose their effects
16–25 One potion loses its effect
26–35 Both work, but numerical effects and durations are halved; a potion with neither loses its effect instead
36–90 Both work normally
91–99 Both work, but one potion's numerical effects and duration are doubled; if neither has something that can be doubled, both work normally
00 Only one potion works, but its effects become permanent

 

PART SIX — RESULT 01: MAGICAL EXPLOSION

On:

01

both potions:

LOSE THEIR EFFECTS

and the mixture explodes.

Area:

5-FOOT-RADIUS SPHERE

Damage:

4D10 FORCE

Every creature in the area takes that damage.

EXAMPLE

4d10:

8 + 6 + 9 + 4 = 27

Each creature in the Sphere takes:

27 FORCE DAMAGE

The table doesn't list:

A SAVING THROW

So do not invent one.

PART SEVEN — RESULT 02–08: POISON

Both potions lose their original effects.

The mixture becomes:

AN INGESTED POISON

The GM chooses a poison from the Poison rules.

This directly connects Lesson 96 to:

MAGIC ITEMS

PART EIGHT — RESULT 09–15: NOTHING

Both potions:

LOSE THEIR EFFECTS

The mixture provides:

NO ORIGINAL POTION BENEFIT

PART NINE — RESULT 16–25: ONE FAILS

One potion:

LOSES ITS EFFECT

The other functions.

The table doesn't require:

BOTH TO FAIL

PART TEN — RESULT 26–35: BOTH ARE WEAKENED

Both potions function.

But their:

NUMERICAL EFFECTS

and:

DURATIONS

are:

HALVED

If a potion has:

NO NUMERICAL EFFECT

and:

NO DURATION

it instead:

LOSES ITS EFFECT

 

EXAMPLE

Potion A normally lasts:

1 HOUR

Now:

30 MINUTES

Potion B normally gives:

+4

to a numerical effect.

Now:

+2

Apply normal:

ROUNDING RULES

when a calculation produces a fraction.

PART ELEVEN — RESULT 36–90: NORMAL

This is the most likely range.

Both potions:

WORK NORMALLY

PART TWELVE — RESULT 91–99: ONE IS AMPLIFIED

Both potions work.

But one potion has its:

NUMERICAL EFFECTS

and:

DURATION

doubled.

If neither potion contains something that can be doubled this way:

BOTH WORK NORMALLY

 

PART THIRTEEN — RESULT 00: PERMANENT MAGIC

This is the extraordinary result.

Only:

ONE POTION

works.

But its effect becomes:

PERMANENT

The GM chooses:

THE SIMPLEST EFFECT TO MAKE PERMANENT

or:

THE ONE THAT SEEMS MOST FUN

 

SRD EXAMPLES

A Potion of Healing might permanently increase:

HIT POINT MAXIMUM

by:

2D4 + 2

A Potion of Invisibility might grant:

INVISIBLE

indefinitely.

The SRD also says that at the GM's discretion:

DISPEL MAGIC

or similar magic might end the permanent effect.

IMPORTANT

This result does not create a universal rule saying:

ALL PERMANENT POTION EFFECTS ARE IMMUNE TO DISPEL MAGIC

or:

ALL ARE AUTOMATICALLY DISPELLABLE

The table gives:

GM DISCRETION

PART FOURTEEN — MIXING MORE THAN TWO POTIONS

If more than:

TWO POTIONS

are combined:

roll again for:

EACH SUBSEQUENT POTION

combining the results.

EXAMPLE

Three potions are mixed.

First:

RESOLVE POTION 1 + POTION 2

Then incorporate:

POTION 3

and:

ROLL AGAIN

The results can become:

VERY STRANGE

HIDDEN RESULTS

Unless the result is immediately obvious:

THE GM DOESN'T NEED TO REVEAL IT IMMEDIATELY

The result is revealed when:

IT BECOMES EVIDENT

That allows Potion Miscibility to create genuine:

MAGICAL UNCERTAINTY

PART FIFTEEN — RINGS

For a magic:

RING

to function:

IT MUST BE WORN ON A FINGER

or:

A SIMILAR DIGIT

unless its description says otherwise.

IMPORTANT

Merely carrying:

A RING OF INVISIBILITY

in your backpack doesn't mean:

ITS MAGIC IS ACTIVE

if its rules require it to be worn.

PART SIXTEEN — RODS

A:

ROD

is usually a scepter made from:

METAL

WOOD

or:

BONE

A typical rod weighs:

2–5 POUNDS

Unless its description says otherwise:

A ROD CAN BE USED AS AN ARCANE FOCUS

 

PART SEVENTEEN — SCROLLS

A:

SCROLL

is typically a roll of:

PAPER

or:

PARCHMENT

The most common type is:

SPELL SCROLL

which stores a spell in written form.

SCROLLS ARE CONSUMABLE

To release a scroll's magic:

READ IT

Once its magic is invoked:

IT CAN'T BE USED AGAIN

Its writing might:

FADE

or the scroll might:

CRUMBLE INTO DUST

WHO CAN TRY TO USE A SCROLL?

Unless the scroll says otherwise:

ANY CREATURE THAT CAN UNDERSTAND A WRITTEN LANGUAGE

can:

READ THE SCROLL

and:

ATTEMPT TO ACTIVATE IT

 

IMPORTANT — SPELL SCROLLS HAVE ADDITIONAL RULES

The individual:

SPELL SCROLL

magic item has its own restrictions.

For example, the spell normally needs to be on:

YOUR SPELL LIST

for you to cast it from that specific item.

We'll study the complete Spell Scroll entry in:

LESSON 103

The general Scroll category rule doesn't erase:

THE SPECIFIC SPELL SCROLL RULES

PART EIGHTEEN — STAFFS

Magic:

STAFFS

vary greatly in material and appearance.

They normally weigh:

2–7 POUNDS

Unless their description says otherwise, a staff can be used as:

A NONMAGICAL QUARTERSTAFF

and:

AN ARCANE FOCUS

 

IMPORTANT

The rule says:

NONMAGICAL QUARTERSTAFF

for this default use.

The staff's own magical description might separately give:

MAGICAL WEAPON PROPERTIES

But don't automatically assume every magic Staff gives magical Quarterstaff attacks merely because:

THE STAFF ITSELF IS A MAGIC ITEM

Follow:

THE ITEM DESCRIPTION

PART NINETEEN — WANDS

A:

WAND

is typically:

12–15 INCHES LONG

and made from materials such as:

METAL

BONE

or:

WOOD

Unless its description says otherwise:

A WAND CAN BE USED AS AN ARCANE FOCUS

 

PART TWENTY — WEAPONS

A magic:

WEAPON

is normally a magical version of a weapon from:

EQUIPMENT

Some specify their exact type.

For example:

LONGSWORD

or:

LONGBOW

If the magic item doesn't specify the weapon type:

THE TYPE MAY BE CHOSEN OR RANDOMLY DETERMINED

 

AMMUNITION FROM A MAGIC WEAPON

If a magic weapon has:

AMMUNITION

property,

ammunition fired from it counts as:

MAGICAL

for any rule that cares whether the weapon is magical.

EXAMPLE

A magical Longbow fires:

AN ORDINARY ARROW

For a rule that asks whether the weapon is magical:

THE FIRED AMMUNITION COUNTS AS MAGICAL

This doesn't automatically mean the arrow acquires:

EVERY OTHER PROPERTY OF THE BOW

Only apply:

WHAT THE RULE ACTUALLY SAYS

PART TWENTY-ONE — WONDROUS ITEMS

The broadest category is:

WONDROUS ITEMS

It includes wearable objects such as:

BOOTS

BELTS

CAPES

AMULETS

BROOCHES

CIRCLETS

and also many non-wearable magical objects, including:

BAGS

CARPETS

FIGURINES

HORNS

MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS

and much more.

Think of Wondrous Items as:

THE LARGE CATCH-ALL CATEGORY

for magic objects that don't belong naturally to the other eight categories.

PART TWENTY-TWO — MAGIC ITEM RARITY

Every magic item has:

A RARITY

Rarity gives:

A ROUGH MEASURE OF THE ITEM'S POWER RELATIVE TO OTHER MAGIC ITEMS

 

The rarities are:

COMMON

UNCOMMON

RARE

VERY RARE

LEGENDARY

and:

ARTIFACT

GENERAL PROGRESSION

At one end:

COMMON

These are the most plentiful.

At the other:

ARTIFACTS

These are:

PRICELESS

UNIQUE

and:

DIFFICULT TO ACQUIRE

 

IMPORTANT

Rarity is:

A ROUGH MEASURE

It doesn't say:

EVERY RARE ITEM IS EXACTLY EQUALLY POWERFUL

Individual magic items can have very different purposes.

PART TWENTY-THREE — MAGIC ITEM VALUES

The SRD provides standard value guidelines.

Rarity Value
Common 100 GP
Uncommon 400 GP
Rare 4,000 GP
Very Rare 40,000 GP
Legendary 200,000 GP
Artifact Priceless

 

THESE VALUES ARE NOT A GUARANTEE OF AVAILABILITY

Common magic items can often be bought in:

A TOWN OR CITY

Uncommon and Rare items are usually found only in:

CITIES

Rarer items might be sold only in extraordinary places, such as:

A CITY ON ANOTHER PLANE OF EXISTENCE

 

THE GM CONTROLS MAGIC ITEM COMMERCE

The SRD says:

IF YOU ALLOW CHARACTERS TO BUY AND SELL MAGIC ITEMS

rarity can help establish price.

That means the rules do not promise:

A UNIVERSAL MAGIC ITEM SUPERMARKET

in every campaign.

A seller might even request:

A SERVICE

rather than:

GOLD

PART TWENTY-FOUR — CONSUMABLE ITEM VALUES

For a:

CONSUMABLE MAGIC ITEM

other than a Spell Scroll:

HALVE THE RARITY VALUE

 

EXAMPLE — COMMON CONSUMABLE

Common base value:

100 GP

Consumable:

100 ÷ 2 =

50 GP

SPELL SCROLLS ARE DIFFERENT

A Spell Scroll's value is:

TWICE THE COST REQUIRED TO SCRIBE IT

according to the Scribing Spell Scrolls rules.

So don't use:

THE NORMAL CONSUMABLE HALF-PRICE RULE

for Spell Scrolls.

PART TWENTY-FIVE — ADD THE BASE ITEM'S COST

If the magic item includes a normal piece of equipment that already has a purchase price:

ADD THAT NORMAL ITEM'S COST

to:

THE MAGIC ITEM VALUE

 

SRD EXAMPLE — +1 PLATE ARMOR

+1 Armor is:

RARE

Rare magic value:

4,000 GP

Plate Armor:

1,500 GP

Total:

4,000 + 1,500 =

5,500 GP

This is the value of:

+1 ARMOR (PLATE ARMOR)

PART TWENTY-SIX — IDENTIFYING A MAGIC ITEM

Finding a magic item doesn't automatically tell you:

WHAT IT DOES

Simply handling it is enough to realize that:

SOMETHING ABOUT IT IS EXTRAORDINARY

but learning its actual properties requires:

IDENTIFICATION

 

METHOD 1 — IDENTIFY SPELL

The fastest method is:

IDENTIFY

The spell reveals the item's properties according to its spell rules.

METHOD 2 — SHORT REST

You can focus on:

ONE MAGIC ITEM

during:

A SHORT REST

while remaining:

IN PHYSICAL CONTACT WITH IT

At the end of that Short Rest:

YOU LEARN ITS PROPERTIES

and:

HOW TO USE THEM

But:

YOU DON'T LEARN A CURSE THE ITEM MIGHT HAVE

 

IMPORTANT

This Short Rest is for:

LEARNING THE ITEM

It is not necessarily:

ATTUNEMENT

Those are two distinct procedures.

PART TWENTY-SEVEN — MAGIC ITEMS CAN CONTAIN CLUES

Sometimes the item itself hints at:

ITS FUNCTION

A command word might be:

ENGRAVED ON THE ITEM

A visual design might suggest:

WHAT THE ITEM DOES

The SRD encourages discovery through:

OBSERVATION

and:

EXPERIMENTATION

 

EXAMPLE

A ring decorated with feathers might suggest:

FALLING OR FLIGHT MAGIC

That is:

A CLUE

not necessarily automatic rules knowledge.

PART TWENTY-EIGHT — IDENTIFYING POTIONS BY TASTE

Potions have a special practical rule.

A:

SMALL TASTE

is enough to tell the taster:

WHAT THE POTION DOES

 

IMPORTANT

A tiny identifying taste is not the same as:

DRINKING THE FULL POTION

You don't consume the entire magic item merely by:

IDENTIFYING IT THIS WAY

PART TWENTY-NINE — EXPERIMENTING WITH AN ITEM

A character can also learn about an item by:

USING IT

or:

EXPERIMENTING WITH IT

The SRD's example is a Ring of Swimming.

Putting it on might make movement feel:

STRANGELY FLUID

Then entering water reveals:

WHAT IT ACTUALLY DOES

 

This allows magic items to be discovered through:

PLAY

rather than always:

IMMEDIATE RULE EXPOSITION

PART THIRTY — ATTUNEMENT

Some magic items require:

ATTUNEMENT

Attunement is a magical bond between:

CREATURE

and:

ITEM

Without Attunement to an item that requires it:

YOU DON'T GET ITS MAGICAL PROPERTIES

unless the item says otherwise.

NONMAGICAL BENEFITS STILL APPLY

Suppose you have:

A MAGIC SHIELD THAT REQUIRES ATTUNEMENT

but you aren't attuned.

You can still gain:

THE BENEFITS OF AN ORDINARY SHIELD

if you use it correctly.

You simply don't receive:

THE MAGICAL PROPERTIES

 

PART THIRTY-ONE — HOW TO ATTUNE

Attuning requires:

A SHORT REST

During that Short Rest you must:

FOCUS ONLY ON THAT ITEM

and remain:

IN PHYSICAL CONTACT WITH IT

 

THE FOCUS CAN FIT THE ITEM

Examples from the SRD include:

Weapon

WEAPON PRACTICE

Wand

MEDITATION

or another appropriate activity.

INTERRUPTED REST

If the Short Rest is interrupted:

ATTUNEMENT FAILS

If completed:

YOU BECOME ATTUNED

and can access:

THE ITEM'S FULL MAGICAL CAPABILITIES

PART THIRTY-TWO — IDENTIFICATION AND ATTUNEMENT REQUIRE SEPARATE SHORT RESTS

This is critical.

The Short Rest used to:

LEARN THE ITEM'S PROPERTIES

cannot be the same Short Rest used to:

ATTUNE TO THE ITEM

 

EXAMPLE

You find a mysterious sword.

Short Rest 1

Focus on sword to:

IDENTIFY ITS PROPERTIES

You discover:

IT REQUIRES ATTUNEMENT

Can you say:

“I ALSO ATTUNED DURING THAT SAME REST”?

NO

Short Rest 2

Focus specifically on:

ATTUNING TO THE SWORD

Complete it successfully.

Now:

ATTUNED

PART THIRTY-THREE — MAXIMUM THREE ATTUNED ITEMS

A creature can normally be attuned to:

NO MORE THAN THREE MAGIC ITEMS AT ONCE

 

EXAMPLE

You are attuned to:

ITEM A

ITEM B

ITEM C

You find:

ITEM D

Can you attune immediately?

NO

The attempt to attune to a fourth:

FAILS

You must first end Attunement to:

ONE EXISTING ITEM

IMPORTANT

You can still possess:

MORE THAN THREE MAGIC ITEMS

The limit is specifically:

ATTUNEMENT

Items that don't require Attunement aren't automatically counted against:

THE THREE-ITEM LIMIT

PART THIRTY-FOUR — YOU CAN'T ATTUNE TO TWO COPIES OF THE SAME ITEM

You also can't attune to:

MORE THAN ONE COPY OF AN ITEM

The SRD gives:

RING OF PROTECTION

as its example.

EXAMPLE

You possess two Rings of Protection.

Can you attune to:

BOTH?

NO

Even though you have:

TWO ATTUNEMENT SLOTS AVAILABLE

the duplicate-item rule prevents it.

PART THIRTY-FIVE — ATTUNEMENT PREREQUISITES

Some items require more than:

AN AVAILABLE ATTUNEMENT SLOT

They might have:

A CLASS PREREQUISITE

or require:

A SPELLCASTER

 

CLASS PREREQUISITE

If an item requires Attunement by:

A PARTICULAR CLASS

the creature must actually be:

A MEMBER OF THAT CLASS

EXAMPLE

An item says:

REQUIRES ATTUNEMENT BY A PALADIN

A Fighter with religious beliefs doesn't qualify merely because:

THE CHARACTER ACTS LIKE A PALADIN

The creature must be:

A PALADIN

PART THIRTY-SIX — SPELLCASTER PREREQUISITE

If an item requires Attunement by:

A SPELLCASTER

you qualify if you can cast at least:

ONE SPELL

using:

YOUR TRAITS

or:

YOUR FEATURES

 

MAGIC ITEMS DON'T COUNT FOR THIS PREREQUISITE

You do not qualify merely because another magic item allows you to:

CAST A SPELL

The ability must come from:

YOUR TRAITS OR FEATURES

not:

A MAGIC ITEM OR SIMILAR SOURCE

PART THIRTY-SEVEN — ENDING ATTUNEMENT

Attunement can end in several ways.

It ends if:

1 — YOU NO LONGER SATISFY ITS ATTUNEMENT PREREQUISITES

2 — THE ITEM HAS BEEN MORE THAN 100 FEET AWAY FOR AT LEAST 24 HOURS

3 — YOU DIE

4 — ANOTHER CREATURE ATTUNES TO THE ITEM

You can also voluntarily end Attunement by:

SPENDING A SHORT REST FOCUSED ON THE ITEM

unless:

THE ITEM IS CURSED

PART THIRTY-EIGHT — DISTANCE EXAMPLE

You are attuned to a magical amulet.

The amulet is stolen and taken:

200 FEET AWAY

for:

6 HOURS

Does Attunement end?

NO

The distance condition requires:

MORE THAN 100 FEET AWAY

for:

AT LEAST 24 HOURS

AFTER 24 HOURS

If it remains more than 100 feet away:

ATTUNEMENT ENDS

PART THIRTY-NINE — WEARING AND WIELDING MAGIC ITEMS

A magic item's properties might require:

WEARING

or:

WIELDING

it.

The item must be used in:

THE INTENDED FASHION

 

EXAMPLES

Boots:

ON FEET

Gloves:

ON HANDS

Hat or helmet:

ON HEAD

Ring:

ON FINGER

Magic Armor:

DONNED

Shield:

STRAPPED TO ARM

Cloak:

FASTENED ABOUT SHOULDERS

Weapon:

HELD

IMPORTANT

A magical helmet carried:

UNDER YOUR ARM

isn't being worn:

AS A HELMET

A magical sword tied to your backpack isn't being:

WIELDED

Follow the item's use requirements.

PART FORTY — MAGIC ITEMS USUALLY ADJUST TO THEIR WEARER

Most wearable magic items can fit:

CREATURES OF DIFFERENT SIZES OR BUILDS

They are typically either:

EASILY ADJUSTABLE

or:

MAGICALLY ADJUST THEMSELVES

 

BUT THE GM CAN CREATE EXCEPTIONS

The Magic Item rules explicitly allow the GM to decide that a particular item:

DOESN'T ADJUST TO EVERY WEARER

For example, a craftsman might have created it specifically for creatures shaped like:

DWARVES

 

This is a:

GM OPTION PROVIDED BY THE SRD

not the default assumption for every magic item.

PART FORTY-ONE — UNUSUAL ANATOMY

The GM also decides whether a creature with unusual anatomy can physically use:

A PARTICULAR ITEM

 

SRD EXAMPLE

A ring might work when placed on:

A TENTACLE

But a creature with:

A SNAKELIKE TAIL INSTEAD OF LEGS

can't normally wear:

MAGIC BOOTS

This is not a numerical rule.

It is:

GM ADJUDICATION BASED ON ANATOMY

PART FORTY-TWO — MULTIPLE ITEMS OF THE SAME KIND

You normally can't wear more than one of certain categories of wearable equipment simultaneously.

Examples include:

ONE PAIR OF FOOTWEAR

ONE PAIR OF GLOVES OR GAUNTLETS

ONE PAIR OF BRACERS

ONE SUIT OF ARMOR

ONE ITEM OF HEADWEAR

and:

ONE CLOAK

 

The GM can:

MAKE EXCEPTIONS

IMPORTANT

This isn't the same as:

ATTUNEMENT LIMIT

You might have enough Attunement slots to use two pairs of magical boots.

But the physical wearing rule normally says:

ONE PAIR OF FOOTWEAR

PART FORTY-THREE — PAIRED ITEMS

Some items come in:

PAIRS

Examples:

BOOTS

BRACERS

GAUNTLETS

GLOVES

Normally, such an item grants its benefit only if:

BOTH PARTS OF THE PAIR ARE WORN

 

SRD EXAMPLE

One foot:

BOOT OF STRIDING AND SPRINGING

Other foot:

BOOT OF ELVENKIND

Result:

NEITHER ITEM GRANTS ITS BENEFIT

You can't normally create a magical:

MIX-AND-MATCH BOOT COMBO

PART FORTY-FOUR — PAIRED ITEM EXCEPTIONS

The later Magic Item rules allow the GM to make sensible exceptions for:

CREATURE ANATOMY

For example, a character with only one arm might be allowed to use:

ONE GLOVE

from a magical pair,

provided the matching glove remains:

ON THEIR PERSON

 

This is explicit:

GM DISCRETION

PART FORTY-FIVE — ACTIVATING A MAGIC ITEM

Usually, activating a magic item requires:

MAGIC ACTION

 

But:

READ THE ITEM

because a category or specific item may require:

SOMETHING DIFFERENT

EXAMPLES OF DIFFERENT ACTIVATIONS

A potion:

BONUS ACTION

A scroll:

READ IT

Some items:

MAGIC ACTION

Some:

COMMAND WORD

Some:

EXPEND CHARGES

Some might activate:

AUTOMATICALLY

when their trigger occurs.

The specific item determines:

THE FINAL PROCEDURE

PART FORTY-SIX — COMMAND WORDS

A:

COMMAND WORD

is a word or short phrase that must be:

SPOKEN

or:

SIGNED

for an item to work.

SPOKEN COMMAND WORDS

A spoken command word must be:

AUDIBLE

Therefore it fails in an area where:

ALL SOUND IS SUPPRESSED

such as the area of:

SILENCE

IMPORTANT

The general command-word rule explicitly permits:

SPOKEN OR SIGNED

But if you are relying on a:

SPOKEN

command word:

IT MUST BE HEARD

in the sense required by the rule.

PART FORTY-SEVEN — CONSUMABLE MAGIC ITEMS

Some magic items are:

CONSUMED

when activated.

Examples:

POTIONS

and:

SCROLLS

 

POTION

The liquid is:

SWALLOWED OR APPLIED

SCROLL

Its writing:

DISAPPEARS

or the scroll is otherwise expended.

AFTER USE

A consumable item:

LOSES ITS MAGIC

It isn't:

A RECHARGEABLE EMPTY POTION BOTTLE

unless a specific item says otherwise.

PART FORTY-EIGHT — SPELLS CAST FROM MAGIC ITEMS

Some magic items let their user:

CAST A SPELL FROM THE ITEM

The general rules are important.

Unless the item says otherwise:

THE SPELL USES THE LOWEST POSSIBLE SPELL AND CASTER LEVEL

IT DOESN'T EXPEND THE USER'S SPELL SLOTS

IT REQUIRES NO COMPONENTS

and uses its normal:

CASTING TIME

RANGE

and:

DURATION

NO SPELL SLOT EXPENDED

Suppose a wand lets you cast a spell.

Normally:

YOUR OWN SPELL SLOT IS NOT SPENT

The magic comes from:

THE ITEM

PART FORTY-NINE — NO COMPONENTS BY DEFAULT

A spell cast from a magic item requires:

NO COMPONENTS

unless:

THE ITEM DESCRIPTION SAYS OTHERWISE

So the general magic-item spell rule removes:

VERBAL

SOMATIC

and:

MATERIAL

components unless the specific item says differently.

IMPORTANT

This rule applies to:

SPELLS CAST FROM MAGIC ITEMS

It does not mean:

ALL SPELLS YOU CAST WHILE HOLDING A MAGIC ITEM HAVE NO COMPONENTS

Only the spell:

BEING CAST FROM THE ITEM

gets this default rule.

PART FIFTY — CASTING TIME STILL MATTERS

The spell normally retains:

ITS NORMAL CASTING TIME

EXAMPLE

Spell's normal Casting Time:

ACTION

Casting it from a magic item normally requires:

THAT NORMAL CASTING TIME

unless:

THE ITEM SAYS OTHERWISE

PART FIFTY-ONE — RANGE AND DURATION STILL MATTER

Likewise, the spell normally uses:

ITS NORMAL RANGE

and:

ITS NORMAL DURATION

unless the item changes them.

PART FIFTY-TWO — CONCENTRATION STILL MATTERS

If a spell cast from an item requires:

CONCENTRATION

the user must:

CONCENTRATE

 

EXAMPLE

You are already concentrating on:

SPELL A

Then use a magic item to cast:

SPELL B

Spell B also requires Concentration.

You can't maintain:

BOTH

The normal Concentration rules still apply.

IMPORTANT

The item providing the magic doesn't:

CONCENTRATE FOR YOU

The user does, unless:

A SPECIFIC ITEM SAYS OTHERWISE

PART FIFTY-THREE — POTIONS CAN BYPASS SPELLCASTING

Many items—especially:

POTIONS

don't actually make the character:

CAST A SPELL

Instead they directly give:

THE SPELL'S EFFECT

with its normal duration.

This distinction matters.

If the item says:

YOU GAIN THE EFFECT OF A SPELL

that isn't automatically identical to:

YOU CAST THAT SPELL

Always read:

THE ITEM'S WORDING

PART FIFTY-FOUR — ITEMS CAN OVERRIDE SPELL RULES

Some magic items explicitly change:

CASTING TIME

DURATION

or:

OTHER PARTS OF THE SPELL

When that happens:

THE ITEM'S SPECIFIC RULE WINS

GENERAL

Spell uses:

NORMAL CASTING TIME, RANGE, DURATION

SPECIFIC ITEM

Says something different?

FOLLOW THE ITEM

PART FIFTY-FIVE — SPELLCASTING ABILITY FROM AN ITEM

Some magic items require the user to use:

THEIR OWN SPELLCASTING ABILITY

If the user has more than one:

THEY CHOOSE WHICH SPELLCASTING ABILITY TO USE WITH THE ITEM

 

EXAMPLE

A multiclass character has:

WISDOM SPELLCASTING

and:

CHARISMA SPELLCASTING

If the item tells the user to use their spellcasting ability:

THE USER CHOOSES BETWEEN THEM

NO SPELLCASTING ABILITY?

If the user has no spellcasting ability:

SPELLCASTING ABILITY MODIFIER = +0

for that item,

and:

THE USER'S PROFICIENCY BONUS APPLIES

 

IMPORTANT

Some items instead provide:

THEIR OWN FIXED SAVE DC

or:

THEIR OWN ATTACK BONUS

If so:

USE THE ITEM'S SPECIFIC NUMBERS

Do not replace them with your own spellcasting ability.

PART FIFTY-SIX — CHARGES

Some magic items contain:

CHARGES

Activating certain properties requires:

EXPENDING CHARGES

 

EXAMPLE

A wand might have:

7 CHARGES

Property A costs:

1 CHARGE

Property B costs:

3 CHARGES

You choose which property to activate and subtract:

THE REQUIRED NUMBER

NO UNIVERSAL CHARGE NUMBER

There isn't one rule saying:

EVERY WAND HAS 7 CHARGES

Each item tells you:

HOW MANY

and:

WHAT THEY DO

PART FIFTY-SEVEN — KNOWING HOW MANY CHARGES REMAIN

The:

IDENTIFY

spell reveals:

HOW MANY CHARGES REMAIN

A creature attuned to a charged item knows:

HOW MANY CHARGES IT HAS

and:

HOW MANY IT REGAINS

 

IMPORTANT

That doesn't mean:

EVERY CREATURE HOLDING EVERY CHARGED ITEM AUTOMATICALLY KNOWS ITS CHARGES

The specific rules provide:

IDENTIFY

or:

ATTUNEMENT KNOWLEDGE

PART FIFTY-EIGHT — “THE NEXT DAWN”

Many magic items recharge at:

THE NEXT DAWN

or:

ANOTHER SPECIFIED TIME

 

But fantasy adventures may occur somewhere that:

DOESN'T HAVE A NORMAL DAWN

For example:

ANOTHER PLANE OF EXISTENCE

If the specified event doesn't occur where the item currently exists:

THE GM DETERMINES WHEN IT RECHARGES

IMPORTANT

“The next dawn” isn't automatically equivalent to:

FINISHING A LONG REST

unless an item specifically says:

LONG REST

These are:

DIFFERENT TRIGGERS

EXAMPLE

A wand regains charges:

AT DAWN

The character takes a Long Rest:

DURING THE DAY

Does the Long Rest itself automatically recharge the wand?

NO

The recharge condition is:

DAWN

PART FIFTY-NINE — CURSED MAGIC ITEMS

A magic item's description tells the GM whether:

IT IS CURSED

The dangerous part is:

IDENTIFICATION USUALLY DOESN'T REVEAL THE CURSE

 

EVEN IDENTIFY CAN FAIL TO REVEAL IT

Most identification methods—including:

IDENTIFY

do not reveal:

THE CURSE

That means a character can correctly learn:

THE ITEM'S MAGICAL PROPERTIES

without discovering:

THE HIDDEN CURSE

PART SIXTY — CURSED ATTUNEMENT

If you attune to a cursed item:

YOU CAN'T VOLUNTARILY END ATTUNEMENT

until:

THE CURSE IS BROKEN

 

EXAMPLE

You discover a magical sword.

You Identify it.

Nothing reveals:

THE CURSE

You attune.

The curse manifests.

Can you simply spend:

A SHORT REST

to end Attunement?

NO

Not while the curse prevents voluntary ending.

PART SIXTY-ONE — REMOVE CURSE AND CURSED MAGIC ITEMS

The spell:

REMOVE CURSE

has a special rule for:

CURSED MAGIC ITEMS

If cast on the cursed item:

THE CURSE REMAINS ON THE ITEM

but the spell breaks:

THE OWNER'S ATTUNEMENT

so the object can be:

REMOVED

or:

DISCARDED

 

THIS IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT

Remove Curse does not normally transform:

A CURSED SWORD

into:

AN UNCursed SWORD

Instead:

THE ITEM REMAINS CURSED

but:

YOU CAN GET RID OF IT

PART SIXTY-TWO — MAGIC ITEM RESILIENCE

Magic items are generally tougher than their ordinary counterparts.

A magic item is at least as durable as:

A NONMAGICAL ITEM OF THE SAME KIND

Most magic items—except:

POTIONS

and:

SCROLLS

have:

RESISTANCE TO ALL DAMAGE

 

EXAMPLE

A magic sword takes:

17 DAMAGE

from an effect that can damage objects.

If its general magic-item Resistance applies:

17 ÷ 2 = 8.5

Round down:

8 DAMAGE

POTIONS AND SCROLLS

The general Resistance rule specifically excludes:

POTIONS

and:

SCROLLS

Do not automatically halve all damage dealt to:

A SPELL SCROLL

merely because it is magical.

PART SIXTY-THREE — ARTIFACTS ARE DIFFERENT

An:

ARTIFACT

can be destroyed only in:

A SPECIAL WAY

Otherwise:

IT IS IMPERVIOUS TO DAMAGE

 

HOW DO YOU LEARN THE METHOD?

Discovering how to destroy an Artifact usually requires:

RESEARCH

or:

A QUEST

This means an Artifact can become:

AN ADVENTURE OBJECTIVE

rather than simply:

AN OBJECT WITH LOTS OF HIT POINTS

IMPORTANT

You don't destroy an Artifact merely by:

DEALING ENOUGH ORDINARY DAMAGE

unless its particular description establishes:

THAT AS ITS SPECIAL METHOD

PART SIXTY-FOUR — IDENTIFYING VS ATTUNING VS ACTIVATING

These three ideas are easy to confuse.

IDENTIFY

Answers:

WHAT DOES THIS ITEM DO?

ATTUNE

Answers:

HAVE I FORMED THE REQUIRED MAGICAL BOND?

ACTIVATE

Answers:

HOW DO I USE A PARTICULAR PROPERTY RIGHT NOW?

EXAMPLE

You find a magical wand.

Identify

You learn:

ITS PROPERTIES

Attunement

If required, spend:

A SEPARATE SHORT REST

to bond with it.

Activation

Later in battle:

TAKE THE REQUIRED ACTION

and perhaps:

EXPEND CHARGES

to use its magic.

These are:

THREE DISTINCT STEPS

PART SIXTY-FIVE — ATTUNEMENT IS NOT ACTIVATION

Being attuned to:

A WAND OF FIREBALLS

doesn't mean:

FIREBALL IS CONSTANTLY ACTIVE

Attunement merely permits access to:

ITS MAGICAL CAPABILITIES

You must still activate the specific property according to:

THE ITEM DESCRIPTION

PART SIXTY-SIX — IDENTIFICATION IS NOT ATTUNEMENT

Knowing every property of:

A MAGIC SWORD

doesn't mean:

YOU ARE ATTUNED TO IT

Even Identify doesn't automatically establish:

THE BOND

If Attunement is required:

COMPLETE THE ATTUNEMENT PROCEDURE

PART SIXTY-SEVEN — ATTUNEMENT IS NOT OWNERSHIP

You can own:

TEN MAGIC ITEMS

without being attuned to all ten.

You can be attuned to:

AT MOST THREE

under the normal rule.

Some of the other seven might:

NOT REQUIRE ATTUNEMENT

and function normally.

Others might need:

AN AVAILABLE SLOT

before their magical properties can be used.

PART SIXTY-EIGHT — ATTUNEMENT IS A MAJOR CHARACTER RESOURCE

Because the normal maximum is:

THREE

choosing an attuned item can become:

A TACTICAL DECISION

Imagine you already have:

A DEFENSIVE ITEM

A MOBILITY ITEM

AN OFFENSIVE ITEM

Then you discover a powerful:

NEW RING

To use it, you may need to decide:

WHICH EXISTING BOND TO END

That makes Attunement a natural limit on:

STACKING MANY POWERFUL MAGIC ITEMS

PART SIXTY-NINE — COMPLETE EXAMPLE: DISCOVERING A MAGIC ITEM

A party defeats an ancient guardian and finds:

A MAGICAL RING

The ring is an original narrative setup.

The procedures below use the actual SRD rules.

STEP 1 — PICK IT UP

The Fighter handles it.

They can tell:

THE RING IS EXTRAORDINARY

But they don't automatically know:

ITS PROPERTIES

STEP 2 — LOOK FOR CLUES

An inscription exists inside.

The GM might provide:

A CLUE

about its use.

STEP 3 — IDENTIFY

The Wizard casts:

IDENTIFY

Now the item's properties are revealed according to the spell.

Suppose it requires:

ATTUNEMENT

STEP 4 — CURSE?

Does Identify guarantee discovery of:

A CURSE?

NO

Most curses aren't revealed by:

IDENTIFY

STEP 5 — ATTUNE

The Fighter spends:

A SHORT REST

focused only on:

THE RING

while remaining:

IN PHYSICAL CONTACT

STEP 6 — CHECK ATTUNEMENT SLOTS

Current attuned items:

TWO

New ring would become:

THIRD

Legal?

YES

STEP 7 — WEAR IT

The ring must normally be worn on:

A FINGER OR SIMILAR DIGIT

STEP 8 — USE IT

If the item has an activated property:

FOLLOW ITS ACTIVATION RULE

If it is a passive property:

FOLLOW ITS DESCRIPTION

That is the full lifecycle of a typical magic-item discovery.

PART SEVENTY — COMPLETE EXAMPLE: FOURTH ATTUNEMENT ITEM

A Ranger is attuned to:

MAGIC BOW

MAGIC CLOAK

MAGIC RING

The Ranger discovers:

MAGIC BOOTS

All four require:

ATTUNEMENT

Can the Ranger attune to the Boots immediately?

NO

Current total:

THREE

Maximum:

THREE

The Ranger must first end Attunement to:

ONE ITEM

VOLUNTARY ENDING

If the chosen item isn't cursed:

SPEND A SHORT REST FOCUSED ON IT

Then:

ATTUNEMENT ENDS

Later, another Short Rest can be used to:

ATTUNE TO THE BOOTS

PART SEVENTY-ONE — COMPLETE EXAMPLE: SPELL FROM AN ITEM

A magic item allows a non-spellcasting Fighter to cast a spell and says to use:

THE USER'S SPELLCASTING ABILITY

The Fighter has:

NO SPELLCASTING ABILITY

Therefore:

SPELLCASTING ABILITY MODIFIER = +0

The Fighter's Proficiency Bonus still:

APPLIES

under the magic-item rule.

If the item instead gives:

A FIXED SAVE DC

use:

THAT FIXED DC

SPELL SLOT?

The item says it lets the Fighter cast the spell.

Does the Fighter spend:

A CLASS SPELL SLOT?

NO

The general magic-item spell rule says:

NO USER SPELL SLOT IS EXPENDED

unless the item gives another specific rule.

COMPONENTS?

Normally:

NONE

unless:

ITEM SAYS OTHERWISE

CONCENTRATION?

If the spell requires:

CONCENTRATION

the Fighter must:

CONCENTRATE

PART SEVENTY-TWO — COMPLETE EXAMPLE: CHARGED WAND

Suppose a hypothetical wand has:

7 CHARGES

and can spend:

2 CHARGES

for one property.

This is an example structure, not the statistics of a specific SRD wand.

Current charges:

5

Use property once:

5 − 2 =

3 CHARGES

Use again:

3 − 2 =

1 CHARGE

Can you use the same 2-charge property again?

NOT UNLESS THE ITEM PROVIDES ENOUGH CHARGES

The item description tells you:

WHETHER ANOTHER OPTION COSTS ONLY 1

and:

WHEN CHARGES RETURN

PART SEVENTY-THREE — COMPLETE EXAMPLE: CURSED ITEM

A Paladin discovers a magical weapon requiring:

ATTUNEMENT

Identify reveals:

ITS NORMAL MAGICAL PROPERTIES

But fails to reveal:

A HIDDEN CURSE

The Paladin attunes.

The curse manifests.

CAN THE PALADIN END ATTUNEMENT WITH A SHORT REST?

NO

not voluntarily while the curse prevents it.

CLERIC CASTS REMOVE CURSE

Result:

PALADIN'S ATTUNEMENT BREAKS

Can the weapon be:

DISCARDED?

YES

Is the weapon now:

UNCursed?

NO

Its curse:

REMAINS

 

PART SEVENTY-FOUR — COMMON BEGINNER MISTAKES

MISTAKE 1 — THINKING ALL MAGIC ITEMS WORK THE SAME WAY

There are:

NINE CATEGORIES

and every individual item can have:

SPECIFIC RULES

MISTAKE 2 — THINKING MAGIC ARMOR WORKS WHILE CARRIED

Unless it says otherwise:

IT MUST BE WORN

MISTAKE 3 — THINKING MAGIC ARMOR AUTOMATICALLY GRANTS ARMOR TRAINING

It doesn't unless:

A RULE SAYS SO

MISTAKE 4 — USING AN ACTION TO DRINK A POTION

General SRD 5.2.1 Potion rule:

BONUS ACTION

MISTAKE 5 — USING AN ACTION TO ADMINISTER A POTION TO ANOTHER CREATURE

Also:

BONUS ACTION

MISTAKE 6 — THINKING A POTION CAN BE REUSED

Potions are:

CONSUMABLE

MISTAKE 7 — ASSUMING MIXING POTIONS IS ALWAYS SAFE

Roll:

POTION MISCIBILITY

MISTAKE 8 — THINKING TWO MIXED POTIONS SIMPLY STACK NORMALLY

Only:

36–90

guarantees that straightforward result.

MISTAKE 9 — ADDING A SAVE TO THE 01 POTION EXPLOSION

The table doesn't list one.

MISTAKE 10 — THINKING THE 00 RESULT MAKES BOTH POTIONS PERMANENT

Only:

ONE

works permanently.

MISTAKE 11 — FORGETTING TO ROLL AGAIN FOR A THIRD POTION

For each additional potion:

ROLL AGAIN

MISTAKE 12 — ACTIVATING A RING WHILE IT IS IN YOUR BACKPACK

Ring magic normally requires:

BEING WORN

MISTAKE 13 — FORGETTING RODS CAN NORMALLY BE ARCANE FOCUSES

Unless description says otherwise:

THEY CAN

MISTAKE 14 — THINKING SCROLLS ARE REUSABLE BOOKS

Scrolls are:

CONSUMABLE

MISTAKE 15 — THINKING THE GENERAL SCROLL RULE OVERRIDES THE SPECIFIC SPELL SCROLL RULE

It doesn't.

Specific:

SPELL SCROLL

rules still apply.

MISTAKE 16 — THINKING EVERY MAGIC STAFF AUTOMATICALLY MAKES MAGICAL QUARTERSTAFF ATTACKS

Default category rule says it can function as:

A NONMAGICAL QUARTERSTAFF

unless its description says otherwise.

MISTAKE 17 — FORGETTING WANDS CAN NORMALLY BE ARCANE FOCUSES

They can unless:

ITEM SAYS OTHERWISE

MISTAKE 18 — ASSUMING EVERY MAGIC WEAPON HAS A FIXED WEAPON TYPE

If the magic item doesn't specify one:

CHOOSE OR RANDOMLY DETERMINE IT

MISTAKE 19 — THINKING WONDROUS ITEM MEANS ONLY CLOTHING

Wondrous Items also include:

BAGS

CARPETS

FIGURINES

HORNS

and much more.

MISTAKE 20 — THINKING RARITY IS AN EXACT POWER SCORE

It is a:

ROUGH MEASURE

MISTAKE 21 — THINKING EVERY COMMON ITEM COSTS EXACTLY 100 GP IN EVERY CAMPAIGN SHOP

The value is guidance.

Availability and transactions remain:

CAMPAIGN DEPENDENT

MISTAKE 22 — USING FULL RARITY VALUE FOR MOST CONSUMABLES

Most consumable magic items:

HALF THE VALUE

MISTAKE 23 — HALVING SPELL SCROLL VALUES LIKE OTHER CONSUMABLES

Spell Scrolls use:

TWICE THEIR SCRIBING COST

MISTAKE 24 — FORGETTING BASE EQUIPMENT COST

A magic Plate Armor's value includes:

MAGIC VALUE + PLATE ARMOR COST

MISTAKE 25 — KNOWING A MAGIC ITEM'S PROPERTIES JUST BY TOUCHING IT

Touching tells you it is:

EXTRAORDINARY

not automatically:

EVERYTHING IT DOES

MISTAKE 26 — THINKING A SHORT REST IDENTIFICATION REVEALS CURSES

It:

DOESN'T

MISTAKE 27 — THINKING IDENTIFY ALWAYS REVEALS CURSES

Most cursed items:

HIDE THEIR CURSES EVEN FROM IDENTIFY

MISTAKE 28 — USING ONE SHORT REST TO IDENTIFY AND ATTUNE

They require:

SEPARATE SHORT RESTS

MISTAKE 29 — THINKING EVERY MAGIC ITEM REQUIRES ATTUNEMENT

Only items that:

SAY THEY REQUIRE IT

MISTAKE 30 — THINKING ATTUNEMENT IS REQUIRED TO RECEIVE ANY BENEFIT WHATSOEVER

If an item requiring Attunement also has normal nonmagical benefits:

THOSE CAN STILL APPLY

unless item says otherwise.

MISTAKE 31 — ATTUNING TO FOUR ITEMS

Normal maximum:

THREE

MISTAKE 32 — ATTUNING TO TWO COPIES OF RING OF PROTECTION

You can't normally attune to:

MORE THAN ONE COPY OF THE SAME ITEM

MISTAKE 33 — QUALIFYING AS A “SPELLCASTER” ONLY BECAUSE A MAGIC ITEM CASTS A SPELL FOR YOU

That doesn't satisfy:

SPELLCASTER ATTUNEMENT PREREQUISITE

The spell must come from:

YOUR TRAIT OR FEATURE

MISTAKE 34 — THINKING ATTUNEMENT ONLY ENDS VOLUNTARILY

It can also end through:

LOST PREREQUISITE

DISTANCE

DEATH

or:

ANOTHER CREATURE ATTUNING

MISTAKE 35 — ENDING ATTUNEMENT THE MOMENT AN ITEM MOVES 101 FEET AWAY

Distance must persist for:

AT LEAST 24 HOURS

MISTAKE 36 — WEARING TWO PAIRS OF MAGIC BOOTS NORMALLY

Normally:

ONE PAIR OF FOOTWEAR

MISTAKE 37 — WEARING ONE BOOT FROM EACH MAGICAL PAIR AND GETTING BOTH EFFECTS

Normally:

NEITHER PAIR WORKS

MISTAKE 38 — ASSUMING EVERY ITEM AUTOMATICALLY FITS EVERY POSSIBLE ANATOMY

The GM can adjudicate:

UNUSUAL ANATOMY

MISTAKE 39 — ASSUMING ACTIVATING EVERY MAGIC ITEM USES AN ACTION

Usually:

MAGIC ACTION

But category and item rules can specify:

SOMETHING ELSE

MISTAKE 40 — USING A SPOKEN COMMAND WORD INSIDE SILENCE

Spoken command word must be:

AUDIBLE

MISTAKE 41 — THINKING A CONSUMABLE MAGIC ITEM RECHARGES LATER

Once consumed:

IT LOSES ITS MAGIC

MISTAKE 42 — SPENDING YOUR OWN SPELL SLOT TO CAST A SPELL FROM AN ITEM

Normally:

NO USER SPELL SLOT

MISTAKE 43 — PROVIDING NORMAL SPELL COMPONENTS FOR A SPELL CAST FROM AN ITEM

Normally:

NO COMPONENTS

unless item says otherwise.

MISTAKE 44 — IGNORING CONCENTRATION WHEN CASTING FROM AN ITEM

If spell requires:

CONCENTRATION

the user:

MUST CONCENTRATE

MISTAKE 45 — ASSUMING THE MAGIC ITEM CONCENTRATES FOR YOU

It doesn't under the general rule.

MISTAKE 46 — ASSUMING EVERY POTION MAKES YOU CAST A SPELL

Many potions simply grant:

THE SPELL'S EFFECT

without casting it.

MISTAKE 47 — IGNORING THE ITEM'S OWN SPELLCASTING DC OR ATTACK BONUS

If the item specifies one:

USE IT

MISTAKE 48 — ASSUMING EVERY CHARGED ITEM REGAINS ALL CHARGES AT DAWN

Each item says:

HOW MANY IT REGAINS

MISTAKE 49 — THINKING A LONG REST AUTOMATICALLY MEANS “NEXT DAWN”

They are:

DIFFERENT TRIGGERS

MISTAKE 50 — THINKING A CURSED ITEM'S CURSE IS ALWAYS DISCOVERED BEFORE ATTUNEMENT

Often:

IT ISN'T

MISTAKE 51 — VOLUNTARILY ENDING ATTUNEMENT TO A CURSED ITEM

Normally you can't until:

THE CURSE IS BROKEN

MISTAKE 52 — THINKING REMOVE CURSE REMOVES THE CURSE FROM A CURSED MAGIC ITEM

The item remains:

CURSED

Remove Curse instead breaks:

THE OWNER'S ATTUNEMENT

MISTAKE 53 — TREATING MAGIC ITEMS AS FRAGILE ORDINARY OBJECTS

Most magic items other than Potions and Scrolls have:

RESISTANCE TO ALL DAMAGE

MISTAKE 54 — TRYING TO DESTROY AN ARTIFACT WITH ORDINARY DAMAGE

An Artifact requires:

A SPECIAL METHOD

QUICK RECAP

NINE MAGIC ITEM CATEGORIES

ARMOR

POTIONS

RINGS

RODS

SCROLLS

STAFFS

WANDS

WEAPONS

WONDROUS ITEMS

POTIONS

Drink or administer:

BONUS ACTION

Consumable:

YES

Mixing multiple potions:

POTION MISCIBILITY TABLE

RINGS

Normally must be:

WORN ON A FINGER OR SIMILAR DIGIT

RODS

Normally usable as:

ARCANE FOCUS

SCROLLS

CONSUMABLE

Activate by:

READING

General category rule allows a creature that understands a written language to attempt use unless the scroll says otherwise.

STAFFS

Normally:

NONMAGICAL QUARTERSTAFF

and:

ARCANE FOCUS

WANDS

Normally:

ARCANE FOCUS

WEAPONS

Usually magical versions of:

NORMAL WEAPONS

Ammunition fired from a magical Ammunition weapon counts as:

MAGICAL

for rules that care.

WONDROUS ITEMS

The broad catch-all category for:

WEARABLE

and:

OTHER MAGICAL OBJECTS

RARITY

COMMON — 100 GP

UNCOMMON — 400 GP

RARE — 4,000 GP

VERY RARE — 40,000 GP

LEGENDARY — 200,000 GP

ARTIFACT — PRICELESS

Consumables other than Spell Scrolls:

HALF VALUE

Spell Scroll:

TWICE SCRIBING COST

Base equipment cost:

ADD IT TO MAGIC VALUE

IDENTIFYING

Handling:

TELLS YOU SOMETHING IS EXTRAORDINARY

Properties:

NOT AUTOMATIC

Fastest method:

IDENTIFY

Alternative:

SHORT REST + PHYSICAL CONTACT

Curse:

NOT REVEALED

Potion:

SMALL TASTE IDENTIFIES IT

ATTUNEMENT

Some items require:

A MAGICAL BOND

Attune with:

SHORT REST

focused only on item while:

IN PHYSICAL CONTACT

Identification and Attunement:

SEPARATE SHORT RESTS

Maximum:

THREE ATTUNED ITEMS

Duplicate item Attunement:

NOT ALLOWED

ATTUNEMENT CAN END THROUGH

LOST PREREQUISITE

100+ FEET OF SEPARATION FOR 24 HOURS

DEATH

ANOTHER CREATURE ATTUNES

or:

VOLUNTARY SHORT REST

unless:

CURSED

USING WEARABLE ITEMS

Wear them:

AS INTENDED

Paired items normally require:

BOTH PIECES

Multiple same-kind wearable items:

NORMALLY RESTRICTED

ACTIVATION

Usually:

MAGIC ACTION

but:

SPECIFIC ITEM RULES CONTROL

SPELLS FROM ITEMS

Normally:

NO USER SPELL SLOT

NO COMPONENTS

NORMAL CASTING TIME

NORMAL RANGE

NORMAL DURATION

CONCENTRATION STILL REQUIRED

unless:

ITEM SAYS OTHERWISE

CHARGES

Some items expend:

CHARGES

Identify can reveal:

CURRENT CHARGES

Attuned user knows:

CHARGES AND RECHARGE

NEXT DAWN

If dawn or another required event doesn't occur on that world or plane:

GM DETERMINES RECHARGE TIME

CURSED ITEMS

Identification normally:

DOESN'T REVEAL CURSE

Cursed Attunement:

CAN'T NORMALLY BE ENDED VOLUNTARILY

Remove Curse:

BREAKS ATTUNEMENT

but:

CURSE REMAINS ON ITEM

MAGIC ITEM RESILIENCE

Most magic items except:

POTIONS

and:

SCROLLS

have:

RESISTANCE TO ALL DAMAGE

Artifacts:

SPECIAL DESTRUCTION METHOD ONLY

PRIME HERO CHALLENGE

A party discovers the following treasure after defeating an ancient guardian:

A MAGIC SWORD

A MAGIC RING

TWO POTIONS

and:

A WAND

Resolve the following questions.

CHALLENGE 1 — THE SWORD

The Fighter picks up the sword.

Does simply touching it tell the Fighter:

EVERY MAGICAL PROPERTY?

NO

The Fighter can sense:

IT IS EXTRAORDINARY

but the properties aren't automatic knowledge.

CHALLENGE 2 — SHORT REST IDENTIFICATION

The Fighter spends a Short Rest:

IN PHYSICAL CONTACT WITH THE SWORD

focused on it.

Result:

LEARNS ITS PROPERTIES AND HOW TO USE THEM

Does this reveal a hidden curse?

NO

CHALLENGE 3 — ATTUNEMENT

The sword requires:

ATTUNEMENT

Can that same Short Rest also attune the Fighter?

NO

Identification and Attunement require:

SEPARATE SHORT RESTS

CHALLENGE 4 — ATTUNEMENT LIMIT

The Fighter is already attuned to:

THREE ITEMS

Can the Fighter attune to the sword?

NO

One existing Attunement must:

END FIRST

CHALLENGE 5 — THE RING

The Rogue identifies a magical ring.

Does carrying it in a pocket normally activate its Ring-category magic?

NO

It normally must be worn on:

A FINGER OR SIMILAR DIGIT

CHALLENGE 6 — TWO POTIONS

The Wizard tastes each potion.

Can a tiny taste identify what each potion does?

YES

CHALLENGE 7 — DRINKING ONE

Action economy:

BONUS ACTION

Potion:

CONSUMED

CHALLENGE 8 — MIXING THEM

The two potions are mixed.

Required:

1D100 POTION MISCIBILITY ROLL

Result:

01

What happens?

BOTH POTION EFFECTS ARE LOST

and:

5-FOOT-RADIUS MAGICAL EXPLOSION

Damage:

4D10 FORCE

CHALLENGE 9 — WAND

The wand allows the Fighter to cast a spell.

Does the Fighter normally spend:

A SPELL SLOT?

NO

CHALLENGE 10 — COMPONENTS

Does the Fighter normally provide:

V, S, OR M COMPONENTS?

NO

unless:

THE ITEM SAYS OTHERWISE

CHALLENGE 11 — CONCENTRATION

The spell requires:

CONCENTRATION

Does the wand maintain it?

NO

The Fighter must:

CONCENTRATE

CHALLENGE 12 — CHARGES

The wand requires charges.

The Fighter doesn't know how many remain.

What can reveal the number?

IDENTIFY

If the Fighter becomes attuned:

THE FIGHTER KNOWS HOW MANY CHARGES IT HAS AND REGAINS

CHALLENGE 13 — NEXT DAWN

The wand regains charges:

AT DAWN

The party travels to a plane where normal dawn never occurs.

Who determines when it recharges?

THE GM

CHALLENGE 14 — CURSED SWORD

The sword later proves cursed.

Can the Fighter simply spend a Short Rest to voluntarily stop being attuned?

NO

not until:

THE CURSE IS BROKEN

CHALLENGE 15 — REMOVE CURSE

A Cleric casts:

REMOVE CURSE

on the cursed sword.

What happens?

THE FIGHTER'S ATTUNEMENT IS BROKEN

Can the sword be discarded?

YES

Is the sword itself now free of its curse?

NO

The curse:

REMAINS ON THE ITEM

CHALLENGE 16 — DESTROYING A NORMAL MAGIC ITEM

The party wants to destroy a normal nonconsumable magic item.

Does it usually have some extra durability?

YES

Most such magic items have:

RESISTANCE TO ALL DAMAGE

CHALLENGE 17 — ARTIFACT

The item is instead:

AN ARTIFACT

Can the Fighter simply hit it until it reaches:

0 HP?

NOT UNDER THE GENERAL ARTIFACT RULE

It can be destroyed only by:

ITS SPECIAL METHOD

LESSON 99 — KEY TAKEAWAYS

Magic items add extraordinary abilities to the game, but their use follows a precise framework.

Remember:

EVERY MAGIC ITEM BELONGS TO ONE OF NINE CATEGORIES

ARMOR MUST NORMALLY BE WORN FOR ITS MAGIC TO FUNCTION

POTIONS ARE CONSUMABLE ITEMS

DRINKING OR ADMINISTERING A POTION REQUIRES A BONUS ACTION

MIXING POTIONS CAN CREATE UNPREDICTABLE MAGICAL RESULTS

RINGS NORMALLY MUST BE WORN ON A FINGER OR SIMILAR DIGIT

RODS, WANDS, AND STAFFS CAN NORMALLY FUNCTION AS ARCANE FOCUSES

STAFFS CAN NORMALLY FUNCTION AS NONMAGICAL QUARTERSTAFFS

SCROLLS ARE CONSUMABLE AND ARE ACTIVATED BY READING THEM

MAGIC WEAPONS ARE GENERALLY MAGICAL VERSIONS OF NORMAL WEAPONS

WONDROUS ITEMS FORM THE BROADEST MAGIC ITEM CATEGORY

RARITY IS A ROUGH MEASURE OF MAGIC ITEM POWER

THE SIX RARITIES ARE COMMON, UNCOMMON, RARE, VERY RARE, LEGENDARY, AND ARTIFACT

RARITY ALSO PROVIDES VALUE GUIDANCE

MOST CONSUMABLE MAGIC ITEMS ARE WORTH HALF THE NORMAL RARITY VALUE

SPELL SCROLLS USE A DIFFERENT VALUE RULE

THE COST OF THE UNDERLYING EQUIPMENT IS ADDED WHEN RELEVANT

FINDING A MAGIC ITEM DOESN'T AUTOMATICALLY REVEAL ITS PROPERTIES

IDENTIFY IS THE FASTEST IDENTIFICATION METHOD

A SHORT REST IN PHYSICAL CONTACT WITH AN ITEM CAN ALSO REVEAL ITS PROPERTIES

IDENTIFICATION DOESN'T NORMALLY REVEAL A CURSE

A SMALL TASTE IDENTIFIES A POTION

SOME MAGIC ITEMS REQUIRE ATTUNEMENT

ATTUNEMENT REQUIRES A SHORT REST FOCUSED ON ONE ITEM

IDENTIFICATION AND ATTUNEMENT CAN'T USE THE SAME SHORT REST

THE NORMAL ATTUNEMENT LIMIT IS THREE ITEMS

YOU CAN'T ATTUNE TO TWO COPIES OF THE SAME ITEM

SOME ATTUNEMENT ITEMS HAVE CLASS OR SPELLCASTER PREREQUISITES

A SPELLCASTER ATTUNEMENT PREREQUISITE MUST BE SATISFIED THROUGH TRAITS OR FEATURES, NOT ANOTHER MAGIC ITEM

ATTUNEMENT CAN END BECAUSE OF LOST PREREQUISITES, PROLONGED DISTANCE, DEATH, ANOTHER CREATURE ATTUNING, OR VOLUNTARY RELEASE

CURSED ATTUNEMENT CAN'T NORMALLY BE ENDED VOLUNTARILY

MAGIC ITEMS MUST BE WORN OR WIELDED IN THE INTENDED WAY

PAIRED ITEMS NORMALLY REQUIRE BOTH PARTS

THE GM CAN ADJUDICATE UNUSUAL ANATOMY AND SPECIAL FITTING

MAGIC ITEMS USUALLY ACTIVATE WITH A MAGIC ACTION

SPECIFIC ITEMS CAN USE OTHER ACTIVATION METHODS

COMMAND WORDS CAN BE SPOKEN OR SIGNED

SPOKEN COMMAND WORDS MUST BE AUDIBLE

SPELLS CAST FROM ITEMS NORMALLY COST NO USER SPELL SLOT

SPELLS CAST FROM ITEMS NORMALLY REQUIRE NO COMPONENTS

NORMAL CASTING TIME, RANGE, DURATION, AND CONCENTRATION STILL APPLY UNLESS THE ITEM SAYS OTHERWISE

SOME ITEMS USE CHARGES

IDENTIFY CAN REVEAL AN ITEM'S REMAINING CHARGES

AN ATTUNED CREATURE KNOWS AN ITEM'S CHARGES AND RECHARGE

“NEXT DAWN” IS NOT THE SAME THING AS “AFTER A LONG REST”

CURSES ARE NORMALLY HIDDEN FROM IDENTIFICATION

REMOVE CURSE BREAKS ATTUNEMENT TO A CURSED MAGIC ITEM BUT DOES NOT REMOVE THE ITEM'S CURSE

MOST NONCONSUMABLE MAGIC ITEMS HAVE RESISTANCE TO ALL DAMAGE

and:

ARTIFACTS REQUIRE SPECIAL METHODS TO DESTROY

The single most important rule for magic items is:

READ THE ITEM DESCRIPTION

The category tells you:

THE GENERAL RULE

The rarity tells you:

ITS GENERAL PLACE IN THE MAGIC ITEM SYSTEM

Attunement tells you:

WHETHER A BOND IS REQUIRED

And the individual item tells you:

EXACTLY WHAT ITS MAGIC DOES

NEXT LESSON

LESSON 100 — CRAFTING AND SENTIENT MAGIC ITEMS

Now that we understand how magic items work, the next lesson explores how they can be:

CREATED

and how some extraordinary magic items can possess:

THEIR OWN MINDS

We will cover the complete SRD 5.2.1 rules for:

ARCANA PROFICIENCY

REQUIRED TOOLS BY MAGIC ITEM CATEGORY

REQUIRED SPELLS

CRAFTING TIME

CRAFTING COST

ASSISTANTS

LEVEL REQUIREMENTS

CRAFTING MAGIC ITEMS BY RARITY

SENTIENT MAGIC ITEMS

ABILITY SCORES

COMMUNICATION

SENSES

ALIGNMENT

SPECIAL PURPOSE

CONFLICT

and:

PERSONALITY

After that, Lesson 101 begins the complete:

MAGIC ITEMS A–H

SRD 5.2.1 ATTRIBUTION

This work includes material from the System Reference Document 5.2.1 (“SRD 5.2.1”) by Wizards of the Coast LLC, available at https://www.dndbeyond.com/srd. The SRD 5.2.1 is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, available at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode.