Random Magic Item Generator for D&D 5e
This magic item generator draws five random magic items from the SRD 5.2 for D&D 5e, filtered by rarity and category, and shows each item’s rarity, category, attunement and typical gp value. Every item also gets an original provenance line and a harmless quirk, so it feels found rather than bought.
Draw magic items
How to use the magic item generator
- Pick a rarity (Any, Common, Uncommon, Rare, Very rare or Legendary).
- Pick a category (Any, Armor, Potion, Ring, Rod, Scroll, Staff, Wand, Weapon or Wondrous item).
- Press Draw items to draw five magic items.
- Copy or favourite the items you want, then look up their full rules in the free SRD 5.2.
What each result shows
Each draw gives you five items from the SRD 5.2. For every item you see:
- its name and category;
- its rarity, also shown by the colour of the card’s edge;
- whether it requires attunement;
- the SRD’s typical gp value for that rarity;
- a provenance line: who made it, who lost it, or where it turned up;
- a quirk that changes nothing mechanically, such as a ring that is always slightly warm or a wand that smells of rain.
The provenance and quirk tables are written for Roll & Rewind. The item descriptions are not reproduced here; the tool names the item and you look up its rules in the SRD 5.2, which is free to download. The seed and filters live in the page link, so a shared link shows the same five items.
Rarity, explained
Fifth edition sorts magic items into five rarities. The SRD 5.2 gives each a typical value, which the tool displays:
| Rarity | Typical value | Rough level to start appearing |
|---|---|---|
| Common | 100 gp | any level |
| Uncommon | 400 gp | any level, most often 1–10 |
| Rare | 4,000 gp | around level 5 and up |
| Very rare | 40,000 gp | around level 11 and up |
| Legendary | 200,000 gp | around level 17 and up |
The level column is rough guidance, not a rule. The values are useful when a player wants to sell something or when you are stocking a magic shop, but most tables treat the higher rarities as priceless in practice: nobody sells a legendary sword in a market.
Attunement
Some items only work once a character has attuned to them, which takes a short rest spent focusing on the item. A character can be attuned to at most three items at a time. That limit does more balancing work than rarity does at high levels. When a party is drowning in attunement items, the interesting decision is which three each character keeps.
Which rarity to hand out when
At low levels, common and uncommon items are plenty. A common item is mostly flavour: a cloak that keeps you dry, a candle that never goes out. Players love them because they are free to be weird. Uncommon items are the first ones that change how a character plays.
Rare items are a reward for an arc, not a fight. Very rare and legendary items should come with a story attached, and usually with someone who wants them back. If you are rolling treasure for a whole lair, the loot generator weights rarity by challenge band for you.
Making items memorable
A +1 longsword is a number on a character sheet. A +1 longsword that “was carried at the siege of a city that no longer exists” and “hums one note when drawn” is a character’s sword. That is what the provenance and quirk lines are for.
Use provenance as a hook. If the item was lost by a named person, that person, or their heir, might turn up. If it was made by a guild, the guild might want to know how the party got it. Roll a name from the fantasy name generators for the maker and you have an NPC.
Use the quirk at the table. Mention it when the item is first picked up, then once more a few sessions later. Players will start describing it themselves.
Consumables vs permanent items
Potions and scrolls are the easiest magic to give out. They are used once, so even a strong one cannot unbalance the next ten sessions. Give consumables freely and permanent items carefully.
A good mix for a low-level hoard is two or three potions or scrolls and at most one permanent item. Filter by Potion or Scroll when you just need a few consumables, and by Weapon or Armor when a specific player has been waiting for an upgrade.
Frequently asked questions
What magic items can the random magic item generator give?
Any magic item from the SRD 5.2, filtered by rarity (common to legendary) and category (armor, potion, ring, rod, scroll, staff, wand, weapon or wondrous item). It draws five at a time.
How much is a magic item worth in 5e?
The SRD 5.2 gives typical values by rarity: 100 gp for common, 400 gp for uncommon, 4,000 gp for rare, 40,000 gp for very rare and 200,000 gp for legendary. The generator shows the value for each item’s rarity.
How many magic items can a character attune to?
Three at a time. Items that do not require attunement do not count toward that limit.
Why does the generator not show the full item description?
The tool names each item and shows its rarity, category and attunement, but leaves the rules text to the SRD 5.2, which is free. That keeps results short enough to scan at the table.
Are the provenance and quirk lines official?
No. They are original tables written for this site and have no mechanical effect. Keep, change or ignore them as you like.