Send your players into adventure with an exciting and useful

balance of treasure for the world’s greatest roleplaying game

 WRAITH WRIGHT ’S

Your Assistant Dungeon Master: Randall Right

Illustration: Cover by Dean Spencer, chapter heads courtesy of Wizards of the Coast
Other Graphics: Cole Twogood
Version: 4.1 (2020)

CHAPTER ZERO: INTRODUCTION CHAPTER TWO: MAGIC ITEMS CHAPTER FOUR: CONSTRUCTION
USING THIS PRODUCT ............................... 4 MAGIC ITEM VALUATION ......................... 25 OWNING LAND ........................................ 52
COMPREHENSIVE MANUALS ...................... 4 Base Cost Ranges ............................... 25 Starter Kits.......................................... 53
What’s in This Product? ..................... 4 Additional Costs................................. 25 MODIFYING PROPERTY ............................ 56
CHAPTER ONE : MUNDANE WEALTH Magic Item Tables .............................26 Components ....................................... 56
ASSET TYPES .............................................. 6 MANAGING MAGIC ITEMS ........................ 34 Growing Parcels ................................. 59
Nonmaterial Assets............................. 6 Buying Magic Items ........................... 34 SHIPS ........................................................ 59
Material Assets .................................... 9 Crafting Magic Items ......................... 34 Ship Requirements ............................60
SELLING ASSETS ........................................ 12 Altering Magic Items ......................... 37 Ship Components ..............................60
Sale Values ...........................................13 Spells for Magic Items ....................... 38 SIEGE ENGINES ......................................... 62
Haggling...............................................13 CHAPTER THREE : INVESTMENTS Standard Engines............................... 62
Finding Buyers.................................... 14 CRAFTING ................................................. 43 Siege Guns .......................................... 65
Finding Sellers .................................... 15 Alternate Hours ................................. 43 CHAPTER FIVE : MILITARY MIGHT
STARTING WEALTH .................................. 16 Making Craft Components ............... 43 GAINING MILITARY MIGHT ......................69
Existing Systems................................. 16 Commercial Manufacture ................. 45 Costs (and Defrayment)....................69
Wealth beyond 1st Level ................... 16 BUSINESS INVESTMENTS ...........................46 Culture-Based Acquisition................ 70
AWARDING WEALTH ................................ 18 Structural Investments......................46 Ancillary Costs ................................... 70
Why Use Distribution Rates? ........... 18 Simple Investment............................ 49 Restrictions to Arming...................... 70
Treasure Bundles................................ 19 Non-Profit Investment ..................... 49 LEADING TROOPS ...................................... 71
Awarding Treasure.............................20 Loyalty Score ....................................... 71
Story Treasures................................... 22 Tracking Loyalty ................................. 71
Effects of Loyalty................................. 71
CLASHING ARMIES .................................... 71
Decide Losers and Losses .................. 71
Casualties............................................ 72
Player Characters’ Roles.................... 73
After the Fighting .............................. 75

DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, D&D, Wizards of the Coast, Forgotten Realms, the dragon ampersand, Player’s Handbook, Monster Manual, Dun geon Master’s Guide,
D&D Adventurers League, all other Wizards of the Coast product names, and their respective logos are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast in the USA and
other countries. All characters and their distinctive likenesses are property of Wizards of the Coast. This material is prote cted under
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The Comprehensive Manual titles, the Wraith Wright anvil, and other related titles and branding are trademarks of Wraith Wright
Productions. All other original material in this work is copyright Wraith Wright Productions 20 20 and published under the
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 UCH CAN BE SAID ABOUT THE USE TO WHICH
adventurer’s put their treasure. In This product includes six chapters, summarized here.
editions past, the majority of a party’s Chapter 1: Mundane Wealth. Herein find types and
coins was spent on magic items, a direct forms of assets, from tangible wealth like coins and trade
conversion of discovered wealth into goods, to intangible assets like rights, favors, and renown.
enhanced character power. In the fifth edition, the This chapter also addresses the liquidation of assets of
purchase of magic items falls mostly outside the standard various kinds. The second half is dedicated to moderating
setting (and the standard mechanics), leaving players to the party’s treasure, including nuanced mechanisms for
wonder what use vast sums of gold may be put to. The equipping characters created beyond 1st level.
Comprehensive Wealth Manual answers these questions. The “Material Assets” in this chapter are duplicated from
Wraith Wright’s Comprehensive Equipment Manual.
Chapter 2: Magic Items. This chapter opens with
This product is intended for Dungeon Masters. While guidelines for a more-precise valuation of magic items. It
players may enjoy understanding the many potentials also provides tools to maintain a balance of magic items in
provided in these pages, these systems are the sole the party while allowing players to pursue the items they
province of the Dungeon Master, who alters and desire for their characters.
administers them to suit the campaign. Chapter 3: Investment. The investments chapter
The purpose of this product is to give ideas to Dungeon includes alternate and expanded rules for mundane
Masters, story ideas and system ideas, to better manage crafting. It also expands the core rules for the construction
campaigns with complex moving parts. If you’ve ever of buildings into rules covering investments for businesses
wished you had given more thought to the balance of and their returns.
treasure in your campaign, or if your players have ever had Chapter 4: Construction. These rules guide the process
too much gold to spend, this book is for you! of acquiring and improving property, plus the creation,
This product contains myriad guidelines for the ways expansion, and maintenance of features on the land. It also
that players acquire and use wealth. It talks about assets in covers ships and ship improvement, as well as a full range
material and non-material forms, including a system for of siege weaponry and engines suitable to defending
balancing the starting wealth of characters made beyond fortifications and ships.
1st level and the rates at which treasure appears during a Chapter 5: Recruiting. An examination of various
campaign. It gives exacting values for magic items and methods and the normally-prohibitive costs of raising
provides safety tools to prevent common errors in the armies, plus story ideas for participating in clashes
distribution of magic items. Its final chapters describe the between such forces. Additionally, this chapter contains a
investment of wealth into crafts and businesses, land and lightweight system to help measure the outcomes of large-
properties, and the acquisition and maintenance of armies. scale battles without resorting to mini-games or complex
rules that distract from regular play.

You are looking at one of Wraith Wright Production’s

interrelated products addressing the acquisition and use of
wealth, equipment, and magic items.
The first book, the Comprehensive Equipment Manual,
presents a vast quantity of additional armor, weapons,
adventuring gear, and other equipment, as well as new
rules related to the use and customization of equipment.
The other books, including this one, the Animal Handler’s
Handbook, and the Expanded Special Feature Manual, were
once a part of that book, but the content grew too large to
contain in a single product.
 HIS CHAPTER TALKS ABOUT MUNDANE WEALTH, ITS prior to the characters themselves becoming well known.
forms and its acquisition. It begins with an They are therefore best suited to the “local heroes” or
overview of material and non-material wealth, “heroes of the realm” tier of play, depending on who issues
and describes how players can convert those the letter.
assets or otherwise make use of them. Here are some common letters and their effects.
This chapter also explores the degrees of wealth that Declaration of Authority. This letter typically conveys
player characters acquire in your campaign, both at the authority of an important person, instructing and
creation and during the course of play. It gives guidance allowing the bearer to act as the issuer’s agent in a limited
for wealth and magic items for characters created beyond capacity or for a limited task.
1st level and a reliable system to measure the treasure that For example, the bearer might be empowered to
the party acquires at each level once the campaign begins. negotiate a certain border dispute on behalf of the duke or
settle a trade disagreement on behalf of a guild. Such
letters typically come with a mandate to act as well as the
An asset is anything you can trade, borrow, leverage, or authority to do so. They are distinguished from similar
otherwise exploit to achieve things of value. Non-material letters in that they are very narrow in scope.
assets are nonconcrete, things like rights, favors, and other A particularly gruesome form of this letter, sometimes
marks of societal power. Material assets include coins, called a death warrant, comes from a ruler and obliges the
gems, trade bars, and trade goods of various sorts; these bearer to hunt and kill a named person, perhaps a political
items are the foundation of commerce and enrichment, enemy or a spy in the court. This letter might come from a
concepts very dear to adventurers. ruler who wants the target killed. The ruler might also
direct the letter to a bearer who wants to kill that target, as
a favor to the bearer. Such letters are expected to be
Nonmaterial assets are not physical things, yet they can shown only if the bearer is caught and has no other option.
still be extremely valuable. The Dungeon Master’s Guide Hospitality. A letter of hospitality allows the bearer to
calls these “marks of prestige.” These assets are explained command room and board at any public inn or eatery
and expanded upon as follows. within the affected region. The owner may record these
expenses and pass them along to the letter’s issuer to
receive repayment, but often the cost is not worth the
An influential person or organization will often show its
effort. Ingratiating business owners may find it
favor by granting a letter of introduction (or letter of
commercially useful to host a famous or well-regarded
recommendation). This finely-calligraphed letter is
patron. Repayment is more commonly sought if the bearer
probably offered in an ornate scroll case or leather folio. It
is requiring several days of support, and the
is marked with a signature, seal, or coded message that
establishment’s owner may well follow up with a
confirms its authenticity.
complaint to the issuer if the bearer imposes for much
A letter is typically only valuable in a way that reflects
longer.
the importance of the person who wrote it; a noble’s favor
Indulgence. A religious authority grants this letter,
probably has no value in a neighboring kingdom. If a letter
which can be used to demand forgiveness for a religious or
is used frivolously, used too often, or otherwise used to the
moral crime, typically the “victimless” sort, or to demand a
writer’s detriment, a messenger might come to revoke it.
favor from a member of the faithful. The letter might
A letter of recommendation usually names the intended
specify the exact crime, or it might be open ended. Such
bearer(s) and provides a brief description of the bearer to
letters typically have no influence on civil authorities but
prevent the letter from being transferred or stolen. Selling
carry great weight to the followers of that religion.
or trading such an item constitutes a fraud, typically with
An indulgence is often used to preemptively protect the
dire results. Likewise, forging such a letter is a risky
faithful from the moral weight of certain duties. When
prospect; while potentially profitable, anyone granting
sought out sincerely and issued with the proper authority,
favors to the bearer of a letter of recommendation notes
such a letter can act as preemptive forgiveness or divine
the event with a formal observation or record-keeping,
intercession for a cleric or paladin. For example, a paladin
and suspicious uses may get investigated.
who breaks an important oath to go undercover and
Letters of recommendation are an appropriate treasure
rescue a group of innocents may seek out an indulgence
for characters that earn the notice of powerful individuals,
from the master of her order to salve her conscience and This is an appropriate reward for characters who have
prevent her being an “oathbreaker” in a mystical sense. A repeatedly aided a kingdom by foiling criminal enterprises
cleric may have to make a bargain with the clergy of an or intrigues.
opposing faith for the good of their congregations, and an A “lesser warrant” is a weaker version of this letter that
indulgence would grant confidence that a higher authority grants only the right to bear weapons where they are
within the religious hierarch approved of the act. Any otherwise forbidden.
divine retribution is likely to fall upon the issuer, rather
than the bearer of the indulgence.
Typically fashioned in intricate forms using precious
Letter of Marque. This letter grants license to the
materials, medals are symbols of favor or accomplishment
bearer, a private citizen, to act as a military agent of the
granted by a ruler. They are meant to be worn
issuer. The bearer may enter enemy territory, attack
prominently.
military and commercial interests, and personally profit
A medal can provide the wearer with a certain measure
thereby. If captured, the law of nations probably requires
of respect. Members of the realm to which the medal
that the bearer be treated as a prisoner of war rather than
applies are likely to recognize the medal and its meaning.
a brigand or pirate. A letter of marque can only be given by
Under the right circumstances, a medal can give social
a person who governs an area and has the authority to
benefits. For example, a member of the royal army who
make war. It is only useful during a time of war.
recognizes a military medal may approach the wearer with
Noble’s Favor. This letter explains that the bearer holds
a better starting attitude in a social interaction. (See
the favor of the undersigned noble. The bearer, and any
“Resolving Interactions” in the Dungeon Master’s Guide.)
companions, might receive preferential treatment by
A medal sometimes comes with a degree of military,
showing the letter. It can open doors and grant access to
religious, or civil authority. A medal in such cases can act
parties and people who would otherwise only associate
as a letter of recommendation. For example, a medal in the
with the nobility. It can also be used to clear up
shape of a star or shield is commonly associated with the
“misunderstandings” with local authorities, excusing
bearer of a warrant, signaling that authority to everyone
minor infractions of law.
around without the wearer having to present the
The value of this letter depends on the importance of the
paperwork. A special pin indicating a lesser warrant could
noble who granted it. Some people may react poorly to a
serve to notify the city watch that the wearer has the right
letter from a noble based on politics or past grudges;
to carry weapons in public.
showing a noble’s favor can occasionally get the opposite
A medal can typically be bought or sold for 2 gp to 50 gp,
of the desired reaction!
at least for its material value, but this is a dubious
Trade Option. Granted by a trading conglomerate or
prospect. Wearing an unearned medal is often a crime.
merchant’s guild, this letter allows the bearer to buy and
sell goods at standard rates at the conglomerate’s many
shops and trade houses, even when these rates might Rulers can dispense titles, as can many nobles or lesser
otherwise be unfavorable due to regional shortages, authorities within a government. A title usually comes with
fluctuations in the market, or the presumed foreignness of a grant of land, if it is a noble title in a feudal system, but it
the bearer. can instead convey the mere status and authority of a
Another type of trade option allows the bearer to make political or military position.
and sell goods of a particular sort without paying taxes or Political and military positions often grant the same
dues to the guild. benefits as a letter of recommendation, but without having
General Warrant. A ruler so well trusts the bearer as to to show the paper. This is because the character’s identity
grant her broad investigative and policing powers. A becomes widely known as a function of office.
warrant is proof against retribution or prosecution for any Noble titles come with grants of authority, nobility,
offense given or minor crimes committed in the course of lands, strongholds, or royal stipends. They typically come
the bearer’s investigations. It requires all citizens to packaged with these and other rights but are subject to
cooperate with the bearer’s inquiries, under penalty of law removal at the whim of the sovereign.
for failure to do so. The bearer of a warrant may also carry A character can hold multiple titles. Some titles end with
weapons in places where normally disallowed, like in the the holder’s death, while others pass down to the holder’s
presence of the issuing monarch or in a city or district primary heir. Some titles come with actual duties; failure
where weapons are forbidden. to attend these duties, or acting in a manner not befitting
such a title, can result in revocation of the title plus the privileges related to political power, or bestowal of lofty-
authority, benefits, or lands that go with it. sounding titles that otherwise have no associated benefits.
While these will not fill an adventurer’s pockets, they
might help her renown.
Rights are typically granted by the maker of the right, or its
Favors held against skilled persons can be very valuable
previous holder, often in written form. A right is indicated
for adventurers. Particularly when such persons cannot
by a letter of recommendation, an awarded medal, a
afford a monetary repayment, they might craft items for
possessory interest in certain land, or a title.
the character (if provided materials), train the characters
Rights typically flow from a ruler, but they might simply
in skill or weapon proficiencies (given sufficient time), or
be granted by the owner of the thing over which the right
otherwise use their time on the characters’ behalf without
is granted. For example, a deed is normally the written
compensation.
expression of a right to possess and use land, given by the
Also important is the nature of the favor. When the king
sovereign. Such writings can describe other rights; a lease
grants a favor for saving his life in heroic fashion, that is
is a secondary right to possess and use land, given by a
worth quite a bit. Conversely, the favor owed for returning
deed-holder. A license is a right to possess and use items,
his fifth-favorite horse, found running wild very near to
or to operate as a franchise or under the banner of a
the castle, is worth much less. Of course, demanding that
known entity.
the king return (“cash out”) a favor of any magnitude is a
Mercantile rights can be very important, often acquired
politically-risky tactic.
as part of a business investment. These might let the
bearer move inventory along shipping lanes, trade in select
markets, or buy and sell assets regulated by the crown. Renown is interconnected with rights and favors. This
These rights typically have upkeep costs in the form of system abstracts the standing of a character (or a party)
annual taxation or dues owed to a trading guild. with factions like national governments, religious
Feudal rights often come with titles. They allow the organizations, and similar institutions. (See “Renown” in
grantee to build a stronghold on selected land, raise the Dungeon Master’s Guide.)
armies, and tax the peasants living in the bearer’s territory. Renown often plays a role in the value of favors as they
These rights require payment of taxes to higher-ranked are cashed in. Having greater renown than someone you
nobles or royals whose larger lands include the character’s owe can provide the social leverage needed to reclaim
smaller property. For example, a duchy contains many favors in unusual or inequitable ways.
counties, and each count pays taxes to the duke. Most Renown also limits rights or letters of recommendation.
require the right-holder to keep knights or soldiers The granter of a right is associating with the receiver of the
employed that can be called upon for service by those right, and few important people want to associate with
nobles or royals. people who have bad reputations. Conversely, having a
Rights can also come in the form of allowances, perhaps high applicable renown makes it easy for a right to be
to break certain laws or even to worship certain gods. granted, such as the right to build a stronghold.
They are often very campaign-specific. Renown is an optional system, one not necessary to this
book’s treatment of rights and favors. The DM can abstract
the party’s reputation to determine how effectively rights
Favors are less spendable than rights and their worth is
and favors can be leveraged with various groups.
harder to evaluate. Characters themselves often owe
favors to others, debts which can be called in at
unexpected times or in uncontemplated ways. Free time is a nonmaterial asset dissimilar to the marks of
Players should keep track of favors (due and owed) prestige described above. It means valuable breathing
along two lines: who owes (or is owed) the favor, and what room for the characters, a few days to pursue their own
it is owed for. downtime activities rather than having to chase the story.
The more important the person who owes the favor, the Along with gold and magic items, an award of “days off”
more valuable it is, but the more mercurial a result you can functions like other treasure, except that players get to
expect. Very important people often fail to grasp the true customize the benefit to suit themselves.
value of money and land, their daily attentions being Time awards take the form of downtime days, between
drawn to matters of state or religion. Nobles often return adventures, or during lulls within adventures. Each
favors in ways that they themselves appreciate, such as the downtime day represents a potential wealth amount that
lauding of praises and acknowledgement, grants of characters can earn from crafts or professions.
 Downtime Income. For characters who spend the day some players might be very interested in downtime. It is
working (see “Practicing a Profession” in the Player’s up to the Dungeon Master to make sure it’s available in
Handbook), the income varies. The innate “cost” of other reasonable quantities if the players want it, or to dispose
downtime activities, like training a new proficiency or of those rules entirely if they don’t.
researching a new spell, is relative to what a character Time is Money. In addition to trading time for things of
could earn with the Practicing a Profession activity. value, some campaigns may benefit from allowing an
For this activity, unskilled labor is worth 1 gp per day, exchange in the opposite direction.
with an additional amount that the Player’s Handbook Player groups that have little interest in downtime, or in
assigns to maintain a lifestyle during that period. campaigns with little room for it because of frenetic
A general labor earns a further 1 gp (2 gp total each day) activity, travel, and racing against a clock, might benefit
because the work affords a “moderate” lifestyle. from the use of hirelings to accomplish downtime activity.
Members of an organization that provides gainful For example, if the players need something researched
employment, like a temple or guild, can support a but don’t have time, a paid hireling could do the work and
“comfortable” lifestyle. Such characters earn 3 gp daily. write a report that will catch up to the party later.
Finally, characters proficient with the Performance skill As this shows, downtime is truly a treasure like any
can maintain a “wealthy” lifestyle, a total of 5 gp daily. other, one that can be converted to gold, and vice versa.
Downtime Expenses. Downtime activities must be Rivals and Complications. If using the rules for rivals
balanced against a character’s lifestyle expenses, paid out and complications from Xanathar’s Guide to Everything, be
over the same period, changing net income. aware of their effect on the value of the downtime days
The Player’s Handbook assumes that characters will elect you award. Value is reduced if the player characters cannot
to enjoy a modest lifestyle. For most characters, this will use downtime activities for fear of interference or attack.
reduce to 1 the net income for the Practicing a Profession This reduction can only be calculated ad hoc, but it should
activity. In this way, players who don’t want to manage consider the number of rivals, as well as the magnitude of
downtime can simply ignore it, converting awarded those rivals’ assets and activities. For example, if you think
downtime days to gold pieces on a one-for-one basis. the characters can only get value for about half their
In search of greater efficiency, a player will often try to downtime days, halve the value of days awarded.
earn the maximum income from this activity and pay only
for the cheapest tolerable lifestyle. There is nothing other
than unfortunate story events (fostered by the Dungeon Material assets are immediately useful, tradable for an
Master) to prevent characters from living rough and adventurer’s present needs of goods and services, or for
keeping their entire incomes. But few players want to expenses like bridge tolls and taxation.
think of their characters as sleeping in alleys and drinking In contrast to nonmaterial assets, material assets are
from ditches or horse troughs. Some lifestyle expense, less portable but much more spendable. Material assets
even a minor expense, is typical. are easy for adventurers to carry, exchange, invest, store,
Awarding Downtime. Often, the pacing of the story will or otherwise reserve for future needs.
control whether characters get any downtime or how The following material assets are duplicated from
many days they get when they do. There is no official Wraith Wright’s Comprehensive Equipment Manual, for
guideline for how many downtime days a Dungeon Master those who do not also use that product.
should award, despite the inherent value of time. The DM
must balance the competing needs of the game and the Currencies in fantasy worlds typically take the form of
story to determine an appropriate award. conveniently sized bits of rare metals, each with distinct
Too many downtime days will allow the characters to weights, sizes, purities or other factors that make them
generate excessive wealth, while too few will prevent them fungible and interchangeable.
from crafting or accessing various other options available Piece Coins. In DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, standard coins are
only in downtime. Many characters have tool proficiencies called “pieces.” These get value from the rarity of their
or class features that are invalidated if downtime is not metal, not local customs or regulations. Uniform weight
part of your game. (each piece is 1/50th of a pound) gives these coins
Even when downtime is available, some players will consistent value across political and regional boundaries.
have no interest in downtime activities. Downtime rules A merchant’s scale (See “Adventuring Gear” in the Player’s
call for lifestyle expenses and other bookkeeping that Handbook) is a common tool for exchanges of such coins.
players might not want to deal with. On the other hand,
 STANDARD EXCHANGE RATES (EXPANDED TABLE)
Coin ip cp sp ep gp mp ap pp
Iron (ip) 1 1/5 1/50 1/250 1/500 1/1,000 1/2,500 1/5,000
Copper (cp) 5 1 1/10 1/50 1/100 1/200 1/500 1/1,000
Silver (sp) 50 10 1 1/5 1/10 1/20 1/50 1/100
Electrum (ep) 250 50 5 1 1/2 1/4 1/10 1/20
Gold (gp) 500 100 10 2 1 1/2 1/5 1/10
Mithral (mp) 1,000 200 20 4 2 1 2/5 1/5
Adamantine (ap) 2,500 500 50 10 5 5/2 1 1/2
Platinum (pp) 5,000 1,000 100 20 10 5 2 1

When tension between regions would incline local Societies that use non-piece currency as their primary
markets to devalue foreign currency, pieces resist this tender go to great lengths to discourage forgery. Minting
devaluation; melting coins into trade bars or into local (and printing if the campaign world has such tinkering
coins recaptures the inherent value of the metal, cleansing wonders) often include subtle or complex features to
it of stigma from foreign origin. Conversion fees may be defeat counterfeiting. Detecting fake money may come
customary, but fees above 10% are unheard of. down to a skilled (or magical) examination performed by
Where regions differ is in the coins their markets make merchants. Because the survival of the whole economy
use of. Gold pieces, silver pieces, and copper pieces are relies upon the currency’s value, along with the survival of
“common” coins, known and used everywhere. Electrum the nation and its subjects, societies that use such
pieces and platinum pieces are “rare,” used only in select representative currency punish counterfeiting with death.
markets or major metropolitan areas. Adamantine pieces, Coin Names. Regionally, pieces have unique names
mithral pieces, and iron pieces are “very rare” coins, new assigned by the institutions that mint them or by the
features of this supplement. people that use them. These names remind players that the
Iron coins are valued at 500 (ip) per single gold piece. game world is not generic; that nations of your setting
Although iron is common in the form of trade bars (see have their own ways of doing things and their own unique
“Trade Goods” in the Player’s Handbook), only poor modes of commerce.
societies with weak economies mint iron into coins. In the Forgotten Realms, Waterdhavians use “dragon” as
Adamantine and mithral are more precious than gold, a term interchangeable with “gold piece.” Locally-minted
but less valuable than platinum. An adamantine piece (ap) gold pieces have the image of a gold dragon on one side.
is worth 5 gold pieces and a mithral piece (mp) is worth
2 gold pieces. These coins appear only in closed societies
where their metals are relatively accessible, such as
VALUATION: ADAMANTINE AND MITHRAL
These adamantine and mithral coin values are
dwarven citadels.
Other Coins. Some institutions governments and major extrapolations of the cost for the relative suits of magic
armor. (See adamantine armor and mithral armor in
religions are large and powerful enough to issue coins of
the Dungeon Master’s Guide.)
their own design. These derive most of their value from
the worth of the issuing institution. The governments, If you prefer the higher implied value of prior
editions, feel free to adjust these numbers. Multiplying
temples, and other powerful factions that issue these coins
guarantee an exchange rate, on demand, from their own their table-listed values by 10 is an easy way to go.
treasuries. The value of these coins might fluctuate based However, note that doing so alters the stated costs of
on the perceived content of that treasury or the distance other adamantine and mithral equipment in the
one must travel to make that guaranteed exchange. Comprehensive Equipment Manual (and in the Dungeon
For example, the City of Waterdeep mints a large coin of Master’s Guide and Xanathar’s Guide to Everything).
If you want to enhance the rarity of these two metals,
platinum with electrum inlay. This “harbor moon” is
it might be enough to simply say they aren’t available
valued at 50 gp locally, but only 30 gp away from the city.
Similarly, the Temple of Gond issues “Gond bells,” brassy
as coins, even in their currently-restricted regions, or
that their coin values reflect the use of alloys or less-
bells with ornamental stone clappers, each worth 10 gp in
open trade or 20 gp when traded to the Temple of Gond. refined material.
 TRADE BARS (TWO-POUND)
Some game worlds use different basic currencies, things Value Goods Value Goods
other than coins. Perhaps valuable metals are hard to 2 sp Iron 100 gp Gold
acquire. Maybe some other convenient things have been
1 gp Copper 200 gp Mithral
used since the beginning of time and no one ever thought
10 gp Silver 500 gp Adamantine
to use coins. Or maybe the gods have dictated what works
50 gp Electrum 1,000 gp Platinum
as currency and none can gainsay them.
As examples, an undersea kingdom may use rare
seashells because it has no mining traditions. A society of
GEMSTONES
necromancers might trade glass beads to which souls are Value Goods
bound; merchants can identify the power of the souls, 10 gp Azurite, banded agate, blue quartz, eye agate,
which correspond to various denominations. On a harsh hematite, lapis lazuli, malachite, moss agate,
desert world, wizards might know how to convert water obsidian, rhodochrosite, tiger eye, turquoise
into small, gelatinous blobs of standardized sizes, which 50 gp Bloodstone, carnelian, chalcedony, chrysoprase,
can later be turned back into water. citrine, jasper, moonstone, onyx, quartz,
Whatever the case, the new currency should be portable, sardonyx, star rose quartz, zircon
identifiable as roughly equivalent to other alike pieces 100 gp Amber, amethyst, chrysoberyl, coral, garnet,
(interchangeable) and should probably have an innate jade, jet, pearl, spinel, tourmaline
value based either on material rarity or a value based on a 500 gp Alexandrite, aquamarine, black pearl, blue
useful function of the item other than commerce. spinel, peridot, topaz
Trade Bars. These bars are short, thin bricks of precious 1,000 gp Black opal, blue sapphire, emerald, fire opal,
metals. They appear in standardized, whole-pound opal, star ruby, star sapphire, yellow sapphire
weights. One-pound, five-pound, and ten-pound trade bars 5,000 gp Black sapphire, diamond, jacinth, ruby
are common, but most trade bars appear in the two-pound
“commercial” variety, equivalent to 100 “piece” coins of
the same metal. This might be why merchant’s scales top Coins are only used by those of middling wealth. The very
out at exactly two pounds in their measuring capacity. (See poor and the very rich exchange trade goods instead.
“Adventuring Gear” in the Player’s Handbook.) When there is no coin to be had, or when barter is simply
Even more than piece coins, trade bars hold their value more convenient, people commit commerce by exchanging
across vast political and geographical expanses. Trade bars items with static, widely accepted and understood values.
are important to regular high-level commerce because For an urchin on the street, trade goods might consist of
they exist without the political implications carried by captured rats or collected scrap iron, the key to acquiring a
minting; there are usually no marks of origin to offend the
peoples of one nation or another.
Gemstones. Gems are sometimes used in place of coins,
DRY GOODS
particularly by the very wealthy. They can appear in any Value Goods
size and quality (any gp value), but the Dungeon Master’s 1 cp 1 lb. of wheat
Guide standardizes gems in order to list consistent values. 2 cp 1 lb. of beans, cheese, flour, potatoes, or turnips;
Halve the value of a “small” version of any gem and per board ft. of unusual lumber
double the value of a “large” version. A “giant” version will 5 cp 1 lb. of coffee, salt, or sugar
fetch ten times the listed value. If a gemstone is raw 1 sp 1 sq. yd. of canvas or per board ft. of rare lumber
(uncut, not polished or otherwise treated to enhance its 5 sp 1 lb. of cooking herbs or tobacco or 1 sq. yd. of
luster by a skilled user of jeweler’s tools) halve its value. cotton cloth
Loose gemstones should not have appreciable weight 1 gp 1 lb. of cooking spices, ginger, or honey
unless carried in bulk. When it does matter, weights can be 2 gp 1 lb. of cinnamon, pepper, wool, or per board ft. of
difficult to calculate; the Dungeon Master’s Guide does not exotic lumber, or 1 common pelt (beaver or wolf)
provide official weights for gems, nor would a standard 3 gp 1 lb. of cloves or 1 uncommon pelt (fox or mink)
gemstone of one type be equivalent in weight to another 5 gp 1 sq. yd. of linen or 1 rare pelt (ermine or seal)
type. As an abstract system, simply assume that 200 10 gp 1 sq. yd. of silk
“standard” gemstones weigh 1 pound, as do 100 “large” 15 gp 1 lb. of chocolate or saffron
versions or 20 “giant” versions.
hot bowl of soup. For a poor farmer, this might mean
CREATURES
trading wheat and livestock for a few luxury items. On the
Value Goods
other end of the spectrum, a guild-sanctioned master
1 cp Frog, rat, or spider
merchant’s trade goods might include huge shipments of
2 cp Cat or chicken
raw textiles exchanged for platinum trade bars. For the
nobility, trading hunting birds or exotic beasts is a matter 5 cp Lizard, quipper, or turtle
of fashion as well as expedience. 1 sp Bat, crab, or octopus
Dry Goods. These common household items are in 5 sp Raven or scorpion
demand everywhere; moving large quantities of them is 1 gp Goat, owl, songbird, or weasel
what keeps many merchants in business. 2 gp Hyena, jackal, poisonous snake, or sheep
Creatures. Of all the trade goods, beasts have the 3 gp Baboon, common dog, giant crab, giant rat, pig, or
greatest variance in value. From the common and deer
domestic, to the wild and exotic, the market for animals 4 gp Badger, giant fire beetle, giant sea horse, untrained
varies greatly based on the accepted purpose of each donkey, or untrained mule
creature and its geographical rarity. 5 gp Ape, boar, giant frog, small parrot, vulture, or wolf
Animals on this table are assumed to be young enough to 10 gp Constrictor snake, cow, elk, giant centipede, giant
train. For beasts that have common uses as trained goat, giant weasel, or giant wolf spider
specimens, halve the value of an older specimen that is 12 gp Crocodile, eagle, or untrained mastiff
beyond its functional training age or useful lifespan. 15 gp Axe beak, giant badger, giant bat, giant spider,
Otherwise the price is consistent, regardless of age. hawk, ox, untrained pony, or yak
Despite being beasts, vermin (snakes, insects, and 20 gp Black bear or giant wasp
arachnids) tend not to be used as trade goods except in 25 gp Giant poisonous snake, untrained camel, or
less-civilized societies or foreign regions like the untrained draft horse
Underdark. For any animal valued based on edibility, like a
35 gp Blood hawk, brown bear, large parrot, or untrained
crab or a hulking crab, dead versions are valued equally to
riding horse
live versions, so long as they are fresh.
50 gp Almiraj, giant hyena, giant toad, panther, or
Some of these animals are described in the Monster
untrained riding horse
Manual, but some have no official game statistics.
75 gp Dire wolf, giant eagle, giant octopus, giant owl,
Additional rules for training animals and selling monsters
giant vulture, lion, reef shark, or tiger
is available in the Comprehensive Animal Handler’s Manual.
100 gp Giant constrictor snake, flying monkey, giant elk,
untrained elephant, or untrained giant lizard
SLAVES AS TRADE GOODS 125 gp Untrained flying snake
Slavery is a commercial aspect of evil societies, like the 150 gp Untrained giant seahorse
drow cities of the Underdark. 200 gp Giant boar, hunter shark, polar bear, or saber-
Slaves are intelligence creatures used for labor, toothed tiger
status, consumption, ritual sacrifices, and other, viler 250 gp Giant scorpion, killer whale, or rhinoceros
purposes. Most slavers prefer to own members of their 500 gp Giant ape, giant crocodile, giant shark, or
own race, but some trade in a variety of races they mammoth
deem less civilized or less technologically developed. 800 gp Hulking crab
Because slave values vary widely by race, health, age,
training, innate capabilities, and the slaver society’s
exact proclivities, it is difficult to create a baseline
value for slaves due to these many variables. This
When players acquire things of value, they usually want to
product therefore leaves such values wholly abstract.
liquidate them as soon as possible, turning them into
Moreover, slavery is rarely a fun focus or an
spendable coin.
appropriate topic for a game. It is a type of real-world
This section limits itself to the sale of material assets.
evil that games struggle to reflect with accuracy and
Nonmaterial assets can be traded, but their values vary
sensitivity, typically using it to reinforce real-world
wildly, and are often based on the holder’s imagination
notions of racism and colonialism, evils that people
and skill at ingratiation. Where possible, the mechanisms
play games to escape from.
to liquidate nonmaterial assets are given in their
descriptions. More often, a nonmaterial asset is exchanged Players love to haggle when buying and selling. They see it
for another nonmaterial asset, a process that does not lend as a chance to earn additional treasure, or rather, to
itself to easy quantification. stretch their treasure further. Haggling also provides the
exciting element of gambling. However, there are reasons
that Dungeon Masters should be wary of allowing it.
Selling treasure is an abstract process in the fifth edition of
First, treasure values have their best impact when
DUNGEONS & DRAGONS. The Player’s Handbook now provides
revealed as the treasure is acquired. This temporal
four easy categories of sale value.
connection between finding the treasure and knowing its
value strongly reinforces feelings of success in whatever
Weapons and armor pieces used by monsters are rarely process resulted in the finding. If the results of haggling
good enough to sell. This prevents parties from “scraping,” later increase or decrease that value, nearly nothing is
looting absolutely everything not nailed down, regardless added to the game in terms of your players’ feelings about
of how small its value. It also relieves the DM from having achieving rewards.
to contemplate mundane monster equipment values when Second, once you allow characters to haggle, particularly
building encounters and balancing treasure. Monster if you predicate results upon die rolls like Charisma
equipment has no resale value. checks, your players will want to haggle over everything
they buy or sell, regardless of its significance. If you tell the
players that “better prices” can be achieved this way,
Undamaged weapons, armor, and other equipment fetch “better prices” become a feature of Charisma-based
half their sale prices when sold at market. DMs balancing
characters, one that players will want to implement for
treasure can consider mundane items, particularly found
every exchange of goods. Allowing rolls rather than using
in bulk, as “loot” valued at half the items’ standard cost.
standard pricing will drag your game into a mire of boring
This applies to equipment the players have previously
negotiations every time the party passes a market.
purchased, as well as good-quality gear taken from Third, there are no standard mechanisms for varying
civilized foes. prices due to haggling. Unfortunately, to make player
efforts feel rewarding, Dungeon Masters are too willing to
Art objects, jewelry, and trade goods are fungible, they sell fill this void with significant price fluctuations based on die
for their full noted values. Such items are already listed at rolls. These are typically too generous. In addition to being
their salable (or tradable) values. So static are the prices unrealistic, the additional wealth quickly adds up until it is
for these items that they are often used in the place of impacting the Dungeon Master’s intended rate of treasure
currency. distribution.

Magic items are very valuable assets. Although the Player’s As a counterpoint, a haggling scene can be interesting to
Handbook maintains that their value is “far beyond simple your game. Keep these rare and make clear to your players
gold,” the guidelines of the Dungeon Master’s Guide suggest that this is not normally how for-coin exchanges work.
that they are readily ratable in gold pieces, and that some To distinguish such scenes, only provide them when the
of them are relatively cheap. players are attempting to buy or sell something that defies
Magic items normally sell for half their purchase costs. easy or standardized pricing. This particularly applies in
(The standard rules for finding a buyer suggest that this the case of something worth more than its material
value may fluctuate, going as high as one and one-half composition, a value that greatly transcends the materials
times the value, or as low as one-tenth of the value.) and labor used to create it.
Alternately, because they are the type of things that For example, selling the duke’s signet on the black
interest the very wealthy or important in society, magic market may be good fodder for a haggling scene since the
items can sometimes be traded for rights or favors, or they value is unrelated to the metal or craftsmanship of the
can be gifted to organizations in the hopes of gaining item. That which is haggled over is the potential to cause
renown. mayhem once the ring is acquired, not the inherent value
If using the standardized item prices in the next chapter, of a normal signet ring.
the Dungeon Master may prefer to make magic items sell
for their full listed values.
 the goods at a great profit, the local economy may become
Like haggling, appraising is a process that can vary the unhinged by the influx of wealth.
value of treasure. The Player’s Handbook suggests an
Intelligence check unrelated to any skill to “estimate the
This system relies upon the concept of downtime, making
value of a precious item.”
it unsuitable for games that don’t regularly make use of the
Unlike haggling, the value-randomization of appraisal
downtime rules. Its official version comes from the “Selling
checks almost never goes in the players’ favor. An
Magic Items” section of the Dungeon Master’s Guide, but
adventurer who underestimates the value of an item will
these rules have greater potential when applied more
not sell it for its true worth. Conversely, even if the
broadly, when used for selling other valuable assets like
character overestimates the value, merchants are usually
exotic poisons or deeds to land.
more careful at their pre-purchase investigations,
This process treats downtime days as a commodity;
particularly when buying loot off of adventurers. At best,
someone seeking a buyer must “pay” varied amounts of
an appraiser can only hope to find an item’s true value and
days for each search conducted. This can get cumbersome,
hold out for a merchant who will pay it.
but it is rare that players need to find a buyer for
Although the rules provide standard mechanisms for
something so valuable as a magic ring or a certificate
appraisal, such rolls should not be used with any
granting the right to take lumber in the king’s woods.
frequency. For the same reasons that haggling should be
minimal, appraisal should be limited to scenes where an SELLING A PRECIOUS ITEM
item’s value is truly obscure, and the story will benefit
Sale Total Buyer Result
from the price’s uncertainty. Pedestrian treasure like
20 or lower 1/10 of the base price
gemstones and objects of art should particularly not be
21–40 1/4 of the base price (or a shady buyer
subject to price variance through appraisal.
offering 1/2)
41–80 1/2 the base price (or a shady buyer
The only obstacle the fifth edition provides for selling offering full price)
treasure is the availability of a buyer. The Player’s 81–90 Full base price
Handbook repeatedly emphasizes this need but gives no 91 or higher A shady buyer offering 1½ the base price,
guidance on the process. no questions asked

Step One. For each item to be sold, the seeker attempts a

For ease of play, assume that buyers are present in DC 20 Intelligence (Investigation) check. If another seeker
communities of certain sizes. This system is a particularly- is assisting, also spending the same number of downtime
good option for campaigns that don’t use downtime days, apply advantage to the check.
actions or where downtime rarely applies. Buyers for multiple items can be sought at the same
The Buying Power by Population table suggests the time, their search times running concurrently with no
maximum value of any single item that can be sold or additional cost in downtime days. Roll for each search
traded in variously-sized population centers. This table separately, and track the times spent separately but
does not distinguish items sold, only their ultimate value. concurrently. Accurate timekeeping here might require
you to keep notes.
BUYING POWER BY POPULATION Failure on a check indicates that no buyer is found and
Type Population Max Value that 10 days are used up in the search. Success indicates
Small village Up to 300 150 gp that a buyer is found, and a variable number of days were
Village Up to 1,000 500 gp used in the search. The number of days is 1d4 for a
Town Up to 6,000 3,000 gp common magic item, 1d6 for an uncommon, 1d8 for a rare,
Large town Up to 12,000 6,000 gp and 1d10 days for a very rare magic item. For the sale of
City Up to 25,000 12,500 gp things that are not magic items, approximate their values
Major city Beyond 25,000 Any value to magic items to time a successful search.
Step Two. If a buyer is found, the next step is to set the
While some sales might be possible in smaller locations, price. Generate a sale total and compare it to the table. A
they might wipe out the buyer’s life savings. This type of sale total is the sum of three values. These include a
exchange can be harmful; if the buyer manages to resell
Charisma (Persuasion) check result, a percentile dice roll,
and an item rarity modifier. These rules provide flavor and expansion for the
Item rarity modifiers are +10 for common items, +0 for additional magic-finding options in Xanathar’s Guide to
uncommon items, –10 for rare items, –20 for very rare Everything. You can alter the nature of these events or
items, and –30 for legendary items. Again, if the thing simply ignore this option altogether.
being sold is not a magic item, approximate its rarity and A magic selling party is an event where a collection of
value to determine an item rarity modifier. magic items is for sale by one or more wealthy owners.
Advice: Use with Care. This mechanism from the Magic items are so expensive that these opportunities to
Dungeon Master’s Guide has some problems, particularly buy must be found by ingratiating oneself into the upper
when the players don’t know how much downtime will be crust of society in a place no smaller than a large town.
available to them. Because these items are held by wealthy socialites,
What if the duke returns in eight days and demands the bargains are not subject to as much risk as those made
return of his signet ring? A successful sale will happen with dealers of less repute.
before the duke returns, but a failed sale will require a This search requires setting a schedule of important
number of downtime days that the selling character is high-society events to attend, requiring 5 downtime days
unable to spend based on unforeseen circumstances. and 100 gp of expenditures. This cost includes a wealthy
Moreover, variable treasure values aren’t good for your lifestyle for the affected time. For every additional 5
game. You can mitigate the drawbacks by limiting this downtime days and 100 gp spent to enhance and lengthen
system to unique and important items. If you can’t the seeker’s social calendar, a +1 bonus will apply on the
articulate why you’re rolling for a buyer, switch to the following roll, to a maximum of +10 following a 55-day
automatic buyer system described above or simply let the schedule.
players sell the item without interference. Once the seeker has networked with enough high-
society types (at the end of this social schedule) she can
make her bid to get invited to a magic market. The seeker
Sometimes players need to find a seller instead of a buyer.
rolls Charisma (Persuasion). In a high-magic campaign,
Maybe they are looking for a rare magic item dealer or a
add a +10 bonus to this roll. In a low-magic campaign,
shady purveyor of illegal poisons.
instead apply a –10 penalty. If the result is 1 or higher, the
To find a seller, use the same system described above for
character is invited to a private social event where magic
finding a buyer of magic items. If the item is illegal, the
items are for sale. The higher the roll, the better the party
Intelligence (Investigation) check suffers disadvantage
and the rarer the magic items available.
unless the seeker has the Thieves’ Cant or Criminal Contact
feature. The DM can remove this disadvantage under other MAGIC PARTY ITEMS
miscellaneous circumstances; perhaps if the seeker has
Check Available to Buy
accrued sufficient renown with a criminal organization.
1–5 1d6 rolls on Magic Item Table A
Again, this system should not be allowed unless the DM
6–10 1d4 rolls on Magic Item Table B
is fully comfortable letting the sought item into the
campaign. It is also perfectly reasonable to limit this 11–15 1d4 rolls on Magic Item Table C
application to various rarities, perhaps only to uncommon 16–20 1d4 rolls on Magic Item Table D
magic items, cheap poisons, and the like. 21–25 1d4 rolls on Magic Item Table E
26–30 1d4 rolls on Magic Item Table F
BUYING A MAGIC ITEM 31–35 1d4 rolls on Magic Item Table G
Buy Total Buyer Result 36–40 1d4 rolls on Magic Item Table H
20 or lower 10 times the base price 41+ 1d4 rolls on Magic Item Table I
21–40 4 times the base price (or a shady seller The referred-to Magic Item Tables are found on pages
offering 2 times) 144 to 149 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide. The Dungeon
41–80 2 times the base price (or a shady seller Master should roll secretly and adjust the results prior to
offering normal price) revealing what is for sale.
81–90 Normal base price A very influential character, one that makes waves in
91 or higher A shady seller offering 3/4 of base price, no wealthy social circles, can try to arrange for the owner of a
questions asked specific magic item to be at a party, and be willing to sell
the item. If the Dungeon Master determines that the item treasures will significantly exceed what is held by new
sought is suitable to the campaign, it will be available if the characters made with the table on page 38. A new
check result meets the item’s rarity: 10+ for common, 15+ character with this system can feel unfairly down-
for uncommon, 20+ for rare, 25+ for very rare, and 30+ for powered, and it can be a detriment to the party if not
legendary. suitably-equipped to face the same challenges.
Use with Care. This system is not intended to allow Moreover, the divisions on the table are problematic.
players access to anything they want; instead, the DM The table makes abrupt jumps at each of the tiers, lacking a
should specifically decide if a particular item is available smooth and useful level-by-level progression. Imagine a
before allowing its seller to be sought out. situation where a new character is made at level 10 (+525-
As a general rule, applicable to any part of this section, 750 gp and no magic items). Another player joins the game
do not make a magic item available if the rarity would only one level later and makes a new character at level 11
exceed what the party should get access to according to its (+5,250-7,500 gp and 2 uncommon magic items). By
characters’ levels. coming in one level later, the character is many times as
wealthy as the early one, and possesses magic items.
For the above reasons, this product does not recommend
This section addresses starting wealth for characters made that DMs use the table on page 38 of the Dungeon Master’s
higher than 1st level. Poling data indicates that more than Guide. Instead, this section provides a more-nuanced table
half of campaigns start at higher level. Although most such for new characters above 1st level. Large jumps still exist
campaigns begin in the range of 2nd to 3rd level, there is between each tier, but these are mitigated somewhat by
still a significant number that start even higher. distributing wealth more evenly across each tier.
Naturally, the question of starting equipment is
important in such cases. Likewise, when a new player joins
The following table provides wealth for characters made
an existing campaign, or an old player makes a new
higher than 1st level. A newly-made character adds the
character, a rational system of starting wealth is required
gold listed in the table’s Wealth column and may buy
if these new characters come in at a level higher than 1st.
mundane or magic items with it to the degree allowed by
the Purchasable Magic column.
Prior editions had robust systems and uniform charts for
starting wealth by level. From this wealth, magic items STARTING TREASURE BY LEVEL
could be purchased. The fifth edition takes a different Level Wealth Purchasable Magic
approach. The Dungeon Master’s Guide envisions four 1st (Tier 1) 0 gp —
“tiers” of character power and, for new characters above 2nd 15 gp —
1st level, it provides a table that separates wealth and 3rd 45 gp —
magic items. 4th 135 gp 1 UN
Because this additional wealth cannot be spent on more 5th (Tier 2) 325 gp 1 UN
magic items, readers are left wondering what else a 6th 1,265 gp 1 UN
starting character could buy with such gold. The starting 7th 2,390 gp 2 UN
equipment systems in the Player’s Handbook already tend 8th 3,765 gp 2 UN
to ensure that characters have enough equipment to use 9th 5,515 gp 2 UN
their class features and functions. 10th 7,765 gp 2 UN, 1 RA
The table on page 38 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide has
11th (Tier 3) 10,390 gp 2 UN, 1 RA
problems, but those can be ignored if your whole
12th 16,015 gp 2 UN, 1 RA
campaign (every player character) is beginning at the
13th 23,515 gp 2 UN, 1 RA
same level. Your characters will be relatively balanced
14th 31,015 gp 2 UN, 1 RA, 1 VR
against one another and, if they are too weak to face the
15th 40,390 gp 2 UN, 1 RA, 1 VR
challenges of the game, the Dungeon Master can reduce
16th 51,640 gp 2 UN, 1 RA, 1 VR
those challenges to suit.
17th (Tier 4) 62,890 gp 2 UN, 1 RA, 1 VR
Unfortunately, the table fails utterly where new
characters enter an existing campaign. Existing characters 18th 162,890 gp 2 UN, 1 RA, 1 VR, 1 LE
will likely have wealth and magic items (at least) 19th 262,890 gp 2 UN, 1 RA, 1 VR, 1 LE
conforming with the guidelines on page 37. Those 20th 387,890 gp 2 UN, 1 RA, 1 VR, 1 LE
 Additionally, certain items are not available to starting
Magic items can be purchased using the pricing scale
characters without explicit Dungeon Master approval.
found later in chapter 2. The Purchasable Magic column
These magic items are described in the sidebar below.
shows the maximum number of major magic items by
rarity that a character may purchase. This column
functionally limits the maximum number of such items Some class features require great wealth expenditures to
that a character may start with. fully realize their potential, particularly wizards and any
A character may purchase an item of lower rarity than character proficient with medium or heavy armor.
indicated. For example, a 10th level character is allowed to Spellbooks. To effectuate the intended versatility of a
purchase 1 rare item but may instead elect to purchase an wizard’s spellbook, allow it to include 3 spells per spell
uncommon item with that allowance. level that the character can prepare, instead of the class’s
Minor magic items are not affected by this table and may default of 2. This simulates the wizard having had an
be purchased without restriction. Minor magic items adventuring career.
include all consumables and a handful of permanent items. Additional spells can be purchased as spell scrolls,
The latter includes all common-rated magic items and any automatically and freely transcribed into the spellbook.
uncommon items found on Magic Item Tables A through E Expensive Armor. To allow classes that need expensive
in the Dungeon Master’s Guide. armor to realize the potential of their armor proficiency
class features, a character may select a mundane suit of
armor from the normal Armor table. (See page 145 of the
If one of the character’s starting magic items has an
Player’s Handbook or refer to the Comprehensive
additional value based on material or special features, as
Equipment Manual.)
explained in the next chapter, wealth from this table must
This typically means a breastplate or a suit of splint or
be used to cover that added value.
plate armor. Gaining this suit replaces the character’s
ability to purchase a single uncommon magic item, so it

SUGGESTED MAGIC ITEM RESTRICTIONS

When players get to select their own magic items, problematic combinations often crop up, particularly with any items
that provide exploitable numerical bonuses. This is a separate consideration from the “power of selection,” described in
the Enchantment chapter.
Exploitation in this sense means gaining an unfair advantage during character creation or stacking bonuses to break out
of the balanced ranges intended by the game. Certain nonsensical arrangements result when building a character from the
ground up with knowledge of what magic items it will have. Such arrangements should not be allowed.
Each of the following limitations can be overcome with explicit permission of the Dungeon Master, who can moderate
whether any individual item or combination of items is unbalancing in the context of the character being created.
• Characters may not start with an amulet of health, belt of giant strength, gauntlets of ogre power, headband of intellect, or
any similar ability-setting items. These are too potent when combined with character-creation decisions because they
replace ability scores. A player can create a character with an important ability as a (low-rated) “dump stat,” distributing
markedly-higher scores into other abilities with the knowledge that a magic item will replace the ability score.
• Neither may characters start with more than one item that gives a magical bonus to Armor Class or t o all saving throws,
unless such bonuses are incompatible. The fifth edition of DUNGEONS & DRAGONS utilizes a “bounded” system to balance
the chances of success in combat, and too many of these bonuses place characters too far beyond the range the game
relies upon.
• For spellcasters, items that overcome the game’s inherent spell-balancing mechanisms are also restricted. Characters
may not start with more than one item that stores spells or spell slots, or that restores or provides additional spell slots
to the user. A spellcaster’s daily slots are intended to balance casting between cantrips and higher-level spells within the
span of various rest periods. Selecting multiple items of this type negates, rather than mitigates, the intended balance.
• Likewise, spellcasters cannot start with a mizzium apparatus if you allow the Multiclassing optional rule. The spell list of
a multiclass spellcaster is broader than a single-class spellcasters, balanced by the fact that it does not contain the
highest-level spells a single-class caster can achieve. The mizzium apparatus lets characters ignore this limitation.
should not be given below 4th level. However, it does not and employ a trained crew. Perhaps the characters begin
reduce the character’s starting wealth. (Wealth can be as powerful merchants and their allies, and they begin the
used for ornamentation or masterwork features, if the suit campaign with a large merchant inventory for various
is to be enhanced by mundane means.) Instead, it creates a story reasons.
debt that the character must repay. Whatever the nature of the shared item or items, the
At the Dungeon Master’s discretion, this suit might be Dungeon Master can simply award ownership of it to the
mechanically identical to a normal suit of armor but come group without any cost or can reduce each character’s
with restrictions. It could be old, battered, or otherwise starting gold to compensate. The method used should
shabby in appearance such that the character will never probably depend on the nature of the item; the merry men
cut an imposing figure. It might also be ill-kept armor or the privateers have set goals that require them to make
taken from an armor-using monster. use of the items in question. These should not call for
Alternately, the armor may come with strings attached, starting wealth reductions. On the other hand, with a bit of
like association with a demanding noble patron or work, the powerful merchants could fully liquidate their
membership in a knightly order that imposes strict inventory and directly bolster their own wealth. In this
behavioral standards. The armor might even bear heraldry case, a shared reduction of starting wealth is appropriate.
or religious markings that can cause trouble in some parts
of town.
These limitations can be overcome by later purchasing a This section asks the question, how much gold should
suit with found treasure, allowing the battered or players get as treasure as the campaign progresses? How
borrowed armor to be discarded or returned. many magic items? Regardless of edition, these difficulties
have long-haunted even experienced Dungeon Masters.
Major “errors” in distribution can have far-reaching effects
When a completely new campaign begins, with all
on a campaign, something this section attempts to steer
characters starting together at a level higher than 1st, the
DMs away from.
Dungeon Master might choose to forego normal starting
treasure in favor of this option.
The Dungeon Master in this scenario pools all the wealth Having an established rate of distribution can guide
and starting magic items for all the characters and makes Dungeon Masters in the allocation of treasure and
one list of it. The players or their characters then select rewards. A peek behind the curtain reveals what impacts
from the list in turn, or through some other fair system, to this can have on a campaign.
divide the pile of treasure.
This option is particularly suitable for certain kinds of
campaigns. For example, the characters begin as The rate of treasure distribution in your campaign is only
professional gladiators until, one fateful day, they are important under certain conditions, when the amount
ordered to go on an important mission in service to the becomes far too high or far too low. The fifth edition of the
city. The lord mayor escorts the characters to a treasure DUNGEONS & DRAGONS Roleplaying Game reduces the
room where they may outfit themselves as desired before importance of treasure relative to prior editions, revising
embarking. what “too high” and “too low” mean in this context.
This sort of system avoids many of the pitfalls that come The official rules provide very little to buy with
with players choosing their own equipment and magic mundane wealth, such that a few thousand gold pieces is
items for their new high-level characters. enough for an adventurer to retire on. Gold is no longer a
route to power since the ability to purchase magic items is
discouraged and hindered by the official rules. Moreover,
New campaigns often begin with a party-unifying factor or magic items themselves are greatly reduced in potency,
property. This often takes the form of some shared thing equip-able quantities are reduced, and fewer monsters
that might otherwise cost a lot of wealth to obtain. require magical weapons to harm. This set of new features
For example, the characters lead a band of merry men in creates an environment where a much greater range of
the king’s forest, stealing from the rich to give to the poor. treasure distribution is “safe.” Characters can only be said
They already have a small band of military hirelings, fully to have too little treasure or too much treasure when they
financed, along with some safehouses and a fortification are at the extremes of this broad range.
deep in the forest. Similarly, the characters might own a
ship from which they operate their privateering enterprise
 Unfortunately, it is still quite easy for a party to reach A Dungeon Master concerned that the party is hovering
one of these extremes. Dungeon Masters are prone to pay too close to the upper range of what is safe and balanced in
more attention to the progression of the story rather than terms of magic items should closely-regulate the official
the characters. They may become surprised deep into a adventure books. Once players accept such treasure rates
campaign to discover that the party’s treasure ill-suits its as the norm, rather than expecting the numbers in the
character levels. Either the party is too poor to afford Dungeon Master’s Guide and Xanathar’s Guide to
equipment and services appropriate to the challenges it Everything, they may be disappointed if the normal rate is
faces, or the party easily overwhelms its foes with wealth later adhered to.
and magic items. When the party has too much wealth, it
also ceases to find motivational value in reasonable offers
of pay or treasure, requiring the DM to tune up such This system of treasure bundles is inspired by one in a
rewards in a dangerously-rising spiral of wealth. prior edition of DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, but is designed to
Somewhere between these extremes, there is a happy overcome some of the important criticisms that system
medium. Finding that balance can be harder than it engendered. It mitigates the lack of flexibility and the over-
initially appears. The rates of distribution in this section serving of player requests the prior edition suffered from.
aim to help DMs premeditate their distributions and Treasure bundles are discrete collections of wealth and
maintain a healthy balance of party wealth. magic items designed for you to distribute one or two at a
time. The Dungeon Master pre-calculates the treasure
anticipated at each level and divides that into bundles for
The official fifth edition rules have a prescribed rate of ease of distribution.
treasure distribution, both for mundane wealth and for This guidance can be enormously helpful, so long as the
magic items. The official rate is broad, based on the Dungeon Master does not feel constrained and knows how
random results of the tables where it is hidden, and official to raise or lower treasure values to reward or penalize the
adventures mostly ignore it. party’s actions. Clever and heroic deeds call for greater
Previously, to approximate the official rate, a Dungeon rewards, while significant bungling means the party
Master would need to perform a rigorous analysis of the overlooks opportunities to find treasure. Tips for flexible
three data points in the Dungeon Master’s Guide. These implementation are given later in this section.
points are (1) the random outcomes of rolling the
prescribed number of times on the Treasure Hoard tables,
(2) the indefinite references to magic items in the Tiers of
Play, and (3) the Starting Equipment table for higher-level WEALTH CALCULATIONS
play. The official rate exists within the range where all A character that saved its entire share of treasure for
three data points overlap. levels 1 through 19 (an impossible task) would have
The later release of Xanathar’s Guide to Everything almost 776,000 gp upon achieving level 20. This figure
provided much more certainty in the realm of magic items. is based on average results of the hoard rolls in the
It confirmed the standard rate for magic items, but did so Dungeon Master’s Guide.
by tier rather than level. It also officially recognized the Each table has an anticipated number of times a
difference between “minor” (usually consumable) magic party will roll on it (page 133). The average roll for
items and “major” (permanent) magic items. each table was multiplied by its anticipated number of
Ostensibly, the exposure of the official rate in Xanathar’s rolls and divided by four, the number of party size
Guide to Everything was first motivated by a desire to probably contemplated by those rules.
guide adventure-designers in the placement of treasure. The result for each tier was distributed across each
However, the official published adventures greatly exceed level within it, using a ratio to match each level’s XP
these numbers. An in-depth analysis of all fifth edition requirement, rounding off to whole-gp figures. The
adventures published to-date shows a wealth and magic ratio of gp to XP earned is 2:20 in the first tier, 5:20 in
item distribution rate more consistent with prior editions, the second tier, 15:20 in the third tier, and 100:20 in
assuming players are diligent and collecting most of it. Not the fourth tier.
only are treasure rates doubled or tripled, but characters The value of treasure bundles in this product was
often get access to magic items of a too-high rarity either determined by splitting the standard per-level wealth
one or two whole tiers early. gain for each tier by five, the average number of
treasure bundles earned at each level.
 Perhaps the most beneficial result of premeditating the (the number of characters that will get an ostensibly-fair
party’s treasure awards is the ability for the Dungeon split of the treasure). At the level where that value reaches
Master to fully flesh out the treasure, to give rich a whole number, one magic item of the indicated rarity will
descriptions to objects of art, vary the type of coins found, also be among the treasure for that level. Carry forward
carefully integrate special features for magic items, or any remaining item fractions.
otherwise make the treasure interesting and unique. For example, six 1st level characters should reach a total
Awarding treasure ad hoc, particularly by rolling on the uncommon magic item value of 1½ during 1st level,
treasure tables during play, does not give the Dungeon meaning one uncommon magic item is among their
Master the time to make such rewards as richly-detailed as treasure. The remaining 1/2 uncommon value carries
they deserve. forward. Nothing is added during 2nd level. At 3rd level,
the six characters accrue another 1½ uncommon magic
item value, for a total of exactly 2 uncommon items,
To get the true wealth value of each bundle, multiply the
including their prior remainder. The party finds two
gp number in the wealth column by the number of party
uncommon magic items during their 3rd level and has no
members (the number of characters that will get an
remainder value to carry forward.
ostensibly-fair split of the treasure).
For example, five 11th level characters should collect
treasure valued at about 11,250 gp in each bundle, doing Characters at 20th level continue to earn treasure, doing so
so about five times before reaching 12th level (a party total at “virtual levels.” A character gains a virtual level for
of 56,250 gp). every 30,000 experience points earned above 355,000.
If characters in the party are different levels, use the The party also calculates additional magic items at those
average of their levels for this calculation, rounding up. intervals. When the party reaches at least 1 legendary item
per member, exchange future-indicated LE fractions (and
any remainder) for VR fractions. When the party reaches
In addition to five wealth bundles, a magic item or two
at least 1 legendary and 2 very rare items per member,
might also be among the treasure. Multiply any indicated
exchange future-indicated VR fractions (and any
“1/4” magic item value by the number of party members
remainder) for R fractions.

TREASURE VALUES
Party Level Wealth Magic Items This segment talks about awarding treasure and the
1st (Tier 1) x 6 gp x 1/4 UN circumstances that can change the distribution. Over the
2nd x 12 gp — course of each character level, the party should find four to
3rd x 36 gp x 1/4 UN seven wealth-related bundles and might find a magic item
or two.
4th x 76 gp —
Bundles aren’t divided by encounter; most monsters
5th (Tier 2) x 375 gp x 1/4 UN
have no treasure, while other encounters might provide
6th x 450 gp x 1/4 RA
pieces of a single bundle or multiple bundles at once.
7th x 550 gp x 1/4 UN
Bundles might be found in a monster’s layer or be given by
8th x 700 gp x 1/4 RA
a noble as a reward for rescuing his grandson, while other
9th x 900 gp x 1/4 UN
challenges do not receive such rewards.
10th x 1,050 gp x 1/4 RA The standard number of bundles the party should find is
11th (Tier 3) x 2,250 gp x 1/4 UN, x 1/4 VR five for each level they gain, but poor or exceptional play
12th x 3,000 gp x 1/4 RA should earn fewer or more bundles. For each party level,
13th x 3,000 gp x 1/4 UN, x 1/4 VR the Dungeon Master should have five bundles written out
14th x 3,750 gp x 1/4 RA ahead of time, and perhaps a couple of spare bundles in
15th x 4,500 gp x 1/4 UN, x 1/4 VR case of exceptional player results.
16th x 4,500 gp x 1/4 RA, x 1/4 LE If the DM already knows the number and nature of the
17th (Tier 4) x 40,000 gp x 1/4 UN, x 1/4 VR encounters a party will face, she can determine how the
18th x 40,000 gp x 1/4 RA, x 1/4 LE party will acquire each bundle. Otherwise, the DM may
19th x 50,000 gp x 1/4 UN, x 1/4 VR consult her campaign’s treasure chart and select bundles
20th (per 30,000 XP) x 30,000 gp x 1/4 UN, x 1/4 LE (or parts of bundles) and magic items ad-hoc as players
search monster layers, execute heists, or get rewards from value from one of the coin bundles. Likewise, if a bundle is
the king. a bit under-valued, add the difference to one of the coin
Characters often meet their experience or milestone bundles.
requirements after dramatically changing plans or On the magic item lines, the DM should write in any
otherwise foiling the DM’s attempt to give out some magic items that will be discovered within that level. These
treasure in a timely, measured manner. The nature of results are again based on the chart and the number of
bundles allows the DM to easily catch up if she forgets or is players.
unable to dispense bundles within the applicable level, For a balance of items, consider making two bundles of
adding remaining bundles onto those awarded at later coin, one bundle of minor magic items like potions, one
levels. (In such instances, the wealth bundle system is bundle containing an object of art, and one bundle of
invaluable for reminding the DM to keep the party on track sellable mundane items.
for their rewards.) Characters don’t have to get everything Try to make bundles in themes to keep their treasure
on the treasure chart before they go to the next level. logical to the setting or the treasure’s previous owner.
The suggested number of treasure bundles per character
level is 5 (a “baseline”), but the party should earn up to 1
Sometimes the characters acquire additional bits of
less or 2 more in any given level, based on their own actions.
treasure, often things not planned by the Dungeon Master
For particularly-notable deeds or failures, the DM can also
and not on the five bundles of the treasure chart. Here are
adjust the number or nature of magic items discovered.
the primary ways treasure gains occur, and the
recommended ways to handle them, whether you wish to
For ideal results, the Dungeon Master can make a “treasure encourage them or not.
chart” of each character level at the start of the campaign, Earned Reward. Earned rewards should be the most
each level having five “bundle” lines, a couple of “magic common deviations from the treasure chart. They occur
item” lines, and maybe a couple of spare bundles charted when characters go above and beyond what is expected,
in case of exceptional play. (Keep these latter bundles using bravery, cunning, or just excellent dice-rolling, to
separate from the others.) Charting bundles just a few earn rewards the DM would not normally have provided.
levels ahead of time is probably a more reliable system, Earned rewards (and earned deficits, described in the next
since it allows the DM to consider recent events and section) are critical for tying treasure to player
treasure when making calculations. The DM should make deservedness. Without these, treasure rewards will feel
sure not to fall behind in the charting process, lest treasure too automatic or predestined; they won’t satisfy the
awards be forgotten. players’ sense of earned rewards.
On each bundle line, the DM should write in treasure Investment income is one example of earned rewards.
with a wealth value based on the chart and the number of Successful business ventures should earn rewards that
players. If one bundle goes a bit over, remove the excess exceed the treasure chart. Otherwise, why would anyone
bother? The various degrees of deviation are discussed
more in a later chapter. At the same time, investments
SAMPLE TREASURE CHART (PARTIAL) should not be allowed to exceed the chart by so much as to
This sample is for a 1st-level party of five characters. unbalance the game. After that point, it’s likely that the
focus of the game has shifted into whatever activity is
LEVEL ONE (30 GP PER BUNDLE): causing the additional gains. For example, if the characters’
- Coins (34): A sack of 18 gp, a stack of 6 ep, a string of investments are so lucrative as to exceed the suggested
27 sp, a purse of 30 cp, one azurite (10 gp) limitation for bundle gains, the characters have probably
- Coins (15): Three 1-lb. silver trade bars (5 gp each) stopped adventuring to focus on banking. The DM should
- Magic (50): A potion of healing therefore strike future rewards from the treasure chart to
- Art (25): A gold locket containing the painted keep in balance; the characters start getting normal game
portrait of a medusa (25 gp) rewards, doing so by investment instead of adventure.
- Mundane (26): Calligrapher’s tools (5 gp) and three Whatever their form, earned rewards should flow from
additional vials of bright purple ink (5 gp each) competence and diligence, heroism and risk. But they
within a velvet-lined box (5 sp), thirty sheets of should not become commonplace. Even if the players are
clean paper (1 sp each) in a scroll box (25 sp) constantly playing well, you should only reward the very
- Uncommon: A +1 battleaxe, with 1/4 UN remainder best instances of play.
 Earned Deficit. Treasure bundles and magic item finds remaining wealth and magic items on the treasure chart. If
are not guaranteed rewards. The treasure chart exists so this is the case, the DM can easily add in some or all the
the DM doesn’t have to continually calculate the balance of leftovers from the chart to keep things fair, particularly if
existing treasure in the party each time a distribute comes the party is playing well.
up. Nothing says the characters must accrue everything on This technique is also appropriate if a player character
the chart. When the characters operate particularly poorly, dies, leaving her equipment to the party. If new characters
miss multiple or obvious clues, or simply refuse to are made with more than the starting wealth for 1st level,
correctly perform the tasks that would otherwise be and the party keeps the old character’s items, you can
rewarded, the DM should reduce the value of a bundle, or offset the value of those items by striking off equivalent
to strike off a whole bundle instead of distributing it. treasure from later in the chart. This prevents a series of
For example, the characters agree to bust a ring of new characters from being an endless source of additional
bandits operating out of the nearby forest. They discover wealth and magic items for the party.
that the mayor has been in on the operation the whole
time, tipping off the bandits and collecting half of their
take. Fearing political reprisal, the characters decide not to Sometimes you want the party to acquire something costly
confront the mayor, despite their good alignments. The but story-related. This might be a sailing vessel, a plot of
town is safe again (and experience points or milestones land with a stronghold on it, or a legendary magic item that
thus earned) but the party does not get the cut of ill-gotten will drive the characters into the quest of a lifetime. Story
plunder that the mayor stored in his basement. The DM treasures of these types typically fall outside of the regular
strikes a single bundle of coins from the treasure chart for rates of distribution. With the right approach, providing
that level. access to such items should not be a concern.
Importantly, poor results on Wisdom (Perception) check
or Dexterity check using thieves’ tools, the failure to A story treasure should not be the type that magnifies an
decipher a treasure map, or other disasters of the dice individual character’s power; it should instead unlock new
might also lead to the reduction of a treasure bundle. It is modes of play or allow access to otherwise-unreachable
important to enforce that the characters’ own successes story features.
and failures are what drives their rewards, and to let Where there is crossover, perhaps an intelligent artifact
players know that such rolls are not meaningless. that is also a useful weapon in combat, you can attempt to
However, luck-based results (poor rolling) should not be value-rate just the features that enhance a party member’s
used too frequently or to reduce treasure too much. It is personal power. Alternately, you can restrict the item’s
usually better to reward good rolls than punish bad ones. features. Perhaps an intelligent artifact weapon only
Chart Balance. The easiest way to rebalance an excess allows its powers to be used when the item so desires, or
treasure, whether intentional or unintentional on your the item activates its features at inopportune moments.
part, is to simply mark off an equal value from the bundles Curses or cultural restrictions can help balance these
later on your chart. Did the players get an extra magic item treasures as well.
because they let an NPC ally die in battle, hoping to get his Finally, make such items have a value limited to their
enchanted armor off him? Simply mark off the next magic time owned by the party; if the players stop making use of
item the party would have found of the equivalent rarity. the item for story purposes or try to sell it for additional
In this way, keeping a treasure chart is an incredibly useful wealth, have a plan in place to remove the item or mitigate
system, not just to distribute treasure in a balanced way, how the sale impacts the party’s treasure rate. Perhaps the
but to cure naturally-occurring imbalances to whatever item was on loan or only rented to the party; when the
degree you find useful. players are done or want to move on to other things, the
Chart balancing is a great way to use published true owner can return for it. Perhaps the intelligent artifact
adventure modules designed by others. Instead of turns against the party for failing to pursue its goals or the
changing where magic items are found, or changing the queen recalls her grant of title to land.
treasure these adventures award, the DM can maintain
balance by simply crossing off equivalent wealth and
magic items from later on the treasure chart. Only if the Obtaining story treasures can be as simple as finding a
chart is fully depleted would the DM need to reign in what magic item. However, for some acquisitions, official
the published adventure provides. Likewise, an adventure ownership is important to establish. For example,
that gives too little treasure will be evident by the
acquiring a stronghold or a pirate ship may require a deed
or provenance of some sort.
For the buildings and ships described in later portions of
this product, the Dungeon Master’s Guide suggests that
characters come into such ownership after 11th level, in
the Masters of the Realm character tier. Some groups
would instead prefer to acquire these items sooner, and
there is no reason to use the party’s lack of wealth to
prevent such a thing. Indeed, many parties in the Masters
of the Realm tier still can’t afford a stronghold.
Where a purchase is desirable, and the item also is a
story device desired by the Dungeon Master, prices can be
adjusted to suit the party’s current level of saved wealth.
Perhaps there is a problem; the castle is haunted, the ship
needs a full refit, or some other problem exists that
reduces the cost. Just make sure that the item is
immediately usable, even if at a lower degree of
functionality. The balancing factor should not effectively
negate the fact of the item’s purchase!
Another mechanism is to use loans or investment to
bridge the gap between the party’s current wealth and the
item’s purchase price. Having a mortgage can be a
powerful, though banal, motivator for players to adventure
and acquire new wealth. Alternately, the gap could be paid
by a backer or investor who expects a percentage of the
party’s treasure going forward.
Finally, a governmental authority, like a king, might
grant an item. Such grants typically come with strings, like
the expectation that the party will swear fealty, direct the
productive use of the surrounding land, collect taxes for
the crown, and maintain soldiers to help protect the realm.
Moreover, a grant of this nature typically reverts to the
crown if the party abandons it or dies. It cannot be sold
because the crown remains the true owner. In this way, the
value of the property is not a true gift to the party and does
not offend the expected rate of treasure distribution.
 LAYERS LIKE MAGIC ITEMS. THIS CHAPTER ADDRESSES
the value and mutability of such items, proposing
a system that satisfies your players’ interest in The table below combines two tables found in the Dungeon
magic items without unbalancing the distribution Master’s Guide, providing the general power level, costs,
of wealth in your campaign. and restrictions on items of each type. The bracketed
values are inferred from other pages of that book.
Artifacts are an exception; no prices are assigned here or
in the official materials. Artifacts should enter the game for
This section assigns specific prices to each magic item that
story reasons and have a limited function outside of story-
comes from official fifth edition game materials to-date.
based applications. They should also spend limited time in
This information helps you, the Dungeon Master, value
players’ hands.
treasure for safe distribution rates. If your campaign
allows such things, exact pricing helps you manage the sale
and purchase of magic items, as well as trades or closed- This section considers the following factors as additional
loop systems like those described below. to the table-listed costs for magic items.
Our 15-page system (not published here) rates the
features of magic items and prices the items based on their
power relative to one another. The broad values assigned To keep things simple, ignore the mundane value of an
to rarity ratings in the Dungeon Master’s Guide are item that bears an enchantment if its mundane value is 50
unsuited to this calculus because, as that book admits, gp or less. If the mundane value is higher, add it to the
rarity provides only “a rough measure of an item’s power magic item’s total value. Most mundane items are cheaper
relative to other magic items.” The official rules also use than 50 gp, meaning this usually only applies to medium or
rarity to distinguish similar items in a set or rate an item’s heavy suits of armor, which are themselves as expensive as
true rarity, despite its relative power. a lot of magic items.
For example, the horn of Valhalla assigns three different
rarities to three different versions, despite the items’
Most special features are so useful or potent as to be worth
functions being essentially identical. The ring of invisibility
an increase in cost. If a magic item has additional powers
only duplicates a 2nd-level spell, but it is a “very rare”
or benefits that are not represented in these rules, the
magic item because this suits the genre. The cloak of
Dungeon Master should feel free to modify the overall
protection and ring of resistance are identical in function,
value of the magic item to suit.
but one has a higher rarity rating to make it rarer (thus
An otherwise-mundane item that has only special
reducing the chance that a character combines both items).
features is a common-rated magic item. It keeps this
When it comes to pricing, however, these additional uses
rating, even if it has multiple minor properties that would
of the rarity rating don’t serve your game. If you’re
bring its value over 100 gp.
allowing a player to craft, buy, or trade for an item, it’s the
Specific Costs. The tables of minor properties and quirks
relative power you care about. If you’re allowing a player
in Wraith Wrights’ Expanded Special Features Manual
to sell an item, you don’t want to create a high-value
itemize the value of such special features. If you do not use
windfall for the sale of a weak (over rated) magic item.
that manual, the following paragraphs suggest price
These concerns are far better served when magic item
variances for the smaller set of features found in the
prices reflect their potency.
Dungeon Master’s Guide.

RARITY, VALUE, AND POWER Maximum Maximum Minimum

Rarity Rating Value Range Bonus Spell Level Character Level
Common (CO) Minor [1] - 100 gp – 1st level 1st level
Uncommon (UN) Major or minor 101 - 500 gp +1 3rd level 1st level
Rare (RA) Major or minor 501 - 5,000 gp +2 6th level 5th level
Very Rare (VR) Major or minor 5,001 - 50,000 gp +3 8th level 11th level
Legendary (LE) Major or minor 50,001 - [500,000] gp +4 9th level 17th level
Artifact (AR) Major N/A +4 9th level N/A
 For minor properties, try adding 50 gp for beacon,
compass, delver, gleaming, hidden message, song craft, Some fifth edition adventures have examples of exact
strange material, temperate, waterborne, and war leader, values for certain magic items. However, these are not
or 100 gp for harmonious, guardian, illusion, language, meant to be “true” values; they are examples for use in
sentinel, and unbreakable. specific contexts. We can say this for certain because these
For quirks, subtract 50 gp for covetous, hungry, frail, examples conflict with one another and with the values in
loud, metamorphic, muttering, and slothful, or 100 gp for the Dungeon Master’s Guide. As a result, it is best not to rely
blissful or possessive. on price examples from adventures. Instead, the following
prices are pegged to functionality and work within the
original ranges given in the Dungeon Master’s Guide, to the
Sentience alone does not increase the value of a magic
degree that practicality allows.
item; although having an extra set of “eyes” (or other
senses) to keep watch at night can be valuable, the
potential for conflicts more than makes up for the added Item prices appear on the following tables in this section.
value. However, if the sentience has some additional Artifacts are not represented on these tables.
power that can be brought to the wielder’s aid, the
1. Consumable Magic Items ^^
Dungeon Master should feel free to modify the item’s value
2. Common Magic Items ^^
accordingly.
3. Uncommon Magic Items ^
4. Rare Magic Items (Part 1)
For spell scroll costs, add the value of any costly material 5. Rare Magic Items (Part 2)
components that the spell needs, whether consumable or 6. Very Rare Magic Items
otherwise. These components are “baked in” to the scroll 7. Legendary Magic Items
at creation so that the spellcaster does not need them on
hand to use the scroll. ^ The items on this table noted with an asterisk (*)
following their names are “minor” magic items.
^^ All items on this table are “minor” magic items.
The tables below set base prices for each standard magic
item, to be modified as described above. Each table,
sometimes covering multiple pages, addresses one rarity. In the following tables, letter notations refer to source
These costs are internally consistent with one another books as follows:
and match the value ranges from the Dungeon Master’s Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus [DiA], Curse of Strahd
Guide. Because this product recommends a closed-loop [CoS], Eberron: Rising from the Last War [RLW], Ghosts of
system (magic items generally are not available for Saltmarsh [GoS], Guildmaster’s Guide to Ravnica [GGR],
purchase with mundane wealth), the values of these items
Hoard of the Dragon Queen [HDQ], Lost Mines of
are only relevant when selling, not buying. Such prices
Phandelver [LMP], Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes [MTF],
thus remain reasonable regardless of the amount of gold a
Out of the Abyss [OtA], Princes of the Apocalypse [PAp], The
party has. (The closed-loop magic item system is described
Rise of Tiamat [TRT], Tales of the Yawning Portal [TYP],
later in this chapter.)
Tomb of Annihilation [ToA], Volo’s Guide to Monsters
If the prices on this chapter’s tables seem low to you, it is
[VGM], Waterdeep Dragon Heist [WDH], Waterdeep
that you have lost sight of the wealth scale in the Dungeon
Master’s Guide. Many players retain vestigial notions of Dungeon of the Mad Mage [DMM], Wayfinder’s Guide to
magic item value, something carried over from previous Eberron [WGE], Xanathar’s Guide to Everything [XGE].
editions of D&D. As the DM, you can easily adjust these An item without a listed source comes from the DMG.
costs to match what is normal in your campaign. To do so, Acquisitions Incorporated and Explorer’s Guide to
select a flat modifier (like “x 5”) and apply it consistently. Wildemount are “partner” IPs; these intellectual properties
are not usable under the Community Content Agreement
of the Dungeon Masters Guild. Therefore, their magic items
cannot appear in this supplement.
CONSUMABLE MAGIC ITEMS
Item Value Item Value
Common Potion of giant strength, stone 200 gp
Ammunition of walloping XGE 15 gp Potion of gaseous form 150 gp
Bead of nourishment XGE 6 gp Potion of heroism 200 gp
Bead of refreshment XGE 2 gp Potion of invulnerability 1,500 gp
Candle of the deep XGE 1 gp Potion of mind control, beast TYP 640 gp
Moodmark paint GGR 5 gp Potion of mind control, humanoid TYP 1,000 gp
Perfume of bewitching XGE 50 gp Potion of mind reading 100 gp
Pot of awakening XGE 25 gp Potion of superior healing 500 gp
Spell scroll, cantrip 10+ gp Quaal’s feather token, anchor 200 gp
Spell scroll, 1st-level 25+ gp Quaal’s feather token, bird 270 gp
Unbreakable ammunition XGE 5 gp Quaal’s feather token, fan 110 gp
Uncommon Quaal’s feather token, swan boat 165 gp
Ammunition, +1 25 gp Quaal’s feather token, tree 75 gp
Bottled breath PAp 160 gp Quaal’s feather token, whip 110 gp
Dust of disappearance 30 gp per use Scroll of protection, any 250 gp
Dust of dryness 75 gp per use Spell scroll, 4th-level 320+ gp
Dust of sneezing and choking 110 gp per use Spell scroll, 5th-level 500+ gp
Keoghtom’s ointment 200 gp per use Very Rare
Oil of slipperiness 150 gp Ammunition, +3 2,500 gp
Philter of love 75 gp Arrow of slaying, any 7,505 gp
Potion of animal friendship 75 gp Candle of invocation 550 gp
Potion of fire breath 100 gp Spell scroll, 6th-level 1,800+ gp
Potion of greater healing 150 gp Spell scroll, 7th-level 2,100+ gp
Potion of giant strength, hill 150 gp Spell scroll, 8th-level 3,600+ gp
Potion of growth 100 gp Legendary
Potion of poison 150 gp Potion of giant size SKT 7,600 gp
Potion of resistance 150 gp Potion of giant strength, storm 950 gp
Potion of water breathing 150 gp Sovereign glue 1,000 gp
Seeker dart 55 gp Spell scroll, 9th-level 8,100+ gp
Smokepowder WDH 1 gp per charge Universal solvent 1,000 gp
Spell scroll, 2nd-level 55+ gp Nolzur’s marvelous pigments 525 gp
Spell scroll, 3rd-level 135+ gp Oil of sharpness 2,600 gp
Storm boomerang PAp 65 gp Potion of flying 1350 gp
Rare Potion of giant strength, cloud 550 gp
Ammunition, +2 250 gp Potion of invisibility 210 gp
Bead of force 500 gp Potion of longevity 4,800 gp
Elixir of health 150 gp Potion of mind control, monster TYP 7,200 gp
Necklace of fireballs 270 gp per bead Potion of speed 370 gp
Oil of etherealness 1,500 gp Potion of supreme healing 950 gp
Potion of clairvoyance 150 gp Potion of vitality 1,100 gp
Potion of diminution 100 gp Spell scroll, 6th-level 1,800+ gp
Potion of giant strength, fire 500 gp Spell scroll, 7th-level 2,100+ gp
Potion of giant strength, frost 200 gp Spell scroll, 8th-level 3,600+ gp
COMMON MAGIC ITEMS
Item Value Item Value
Arcane focus, imbued wood WGE 50 gp Mystery key XGE 20 gp
Armblade WGE, RLW 25 gp Orb of direction XGE 15 gp
Armor of gleaming XGE 15 gp Orb of gonging DMM 25 gp
Band of loyalty WGE 100 gp Orb of shielding WGE, RLW 100 gp
Boots of false tracks XGE 50 gp Orb of time XGE 10 gp
Cast-off armor XGE 100 gp Pipe of remembrance GoS 25 gp
Charlatan’s die XGE 75 gp Pipe of smoke monsters XGE 35 gp
Chest of preserving DMM 45 gp Pole of angling XGE 35 gp
Cleansing stone WGE, RLW 25 gp Pole of collapsing XGE 50 gp
Cloak of billowing XGE 25 gp Pressure capsule GoS 50 gp
Cloak of many fashions XGE 15 gp Prosthetic limb RLW 25 gp
Clockwork amulet XGE 100 gp Rope of mending XGE 55 gp
Clothes of mending XGE 15 gp Ruby of the war mage XGE 100 gp
Dark shard amulet XGE 75 gp Sekolahian worshiping statuette GoS 15 gp
Dread helm XGE 15 gp Scribe’s pen WGE, RLW 15 gp
Ear horn of hearing XGE 50 gp Shield of expression XGE 15 gp
Enduring spellbook XGE 35 gp Shiftweave WGE, RLW 25 gp
Ersatz eye XGE 25 gp Smoldering armor XGE 15 gp
Everbright lantern WGE, RLW 50 gp Spellshard WGE, RLW 1 gp per “page”
Feather token WGE, RLW 15 gp Staff of adornment XGE 35 gp
Glamerweave [contained pattern] WGE, RLW 25 gp Staff of birdcalls XGE 50 gp
Hat of vermin XGE 35 gp Staff of flowers XGE 35 gp
Hat of wizardry XGE 75 gp Talking doll XGE 70 gp
Heward’s handy spice pouch XGE 20 gp Tankard of sobriety XGE 25 gp
Horn of silent alarm XGE 40 gp Veteran’s cane XGE 55 gp
Imbued wood focus RLW 100 gp Wand of conducting XGE 75 gp
Instrument of illusions XGE 65 gp Wand of pyrotechnics XGE 25 gp
Instrument of scribing XGE 55 gp Wand of scowls XGE 50 gp
Keycharm WGE, RLW 15 gp Wand of smiles XGE 50 gp
Lock of trickery XGE 30 gp Wand sheath WGE, RLW 25 gp
Moontouched sword XGE 20 gp
UNCOMMON MAGIC ITEMS
Item Value Item Value
Adamantine armor 300 gp Helm of underwater action 570 gp
Alchemy jug* 125 gp Hew LMP 500 gp
Amulet of proof against detection and location 350 gp Immovable rod* 175 gp
Bag of bounty WGE 275 gp Infernal puzzle box DiA 475 gp
Bag of holding* 400 gp Inquisitive’s goggle’s WGE 310 gp
Bag of tricks 425 gp Insignia of claws HDQ 400 gp
Balance of harmony TYP 100 gp Instrument of the bard
Balloon pack PotA 30 gp Doss lute 900 gp
Blood spear CoS 410 gp Fochlucan bandore 570 gp
Boots of elvenkind 115 gp Mac-Fuirmidh cittern 560 gp
Boots of striding and springing 105 gp Javelin of lightning 160 gp
Boots of the winterlands 750 gp Lantern of revealing* 220 gp
Bracers of archery 400 gp Lightbringer LMP 500 gp
Brooch of shielding 200 gp Living gloves RLW 300 gp
Broom of flying 1,350 gp Mariner’s armor* 150 gp
Cap of water breathing* 250 gp Mask of the beast ToA 60 gp
Circlet of blasting 110 gp Medallion of thoughts 165 gp
Circlet of human perfection DMM 275 gp Mind carapace armor VGM 1,605 gp
Cloak of elvenkind 165 gp Mithral armor 270 gp
Cloak of protection 1,300 gp Mizzium apparatus GGR 500 gp
Cloak of the manta ray* 950 gp (22,500 gp if Multiclassing optional rules are available)
Cursed luckstone GoS 100 gp Pyroconverger GGR 150 gp
Decanter of endless water* 435 gp Shield, +1 225 gp
Deck of illusions 7 gp per card Skyblinder staff GGR 490 gp
Driftglobe* 215 gp Slippers of spider climbing 115 gp
Earworm RLW 750 gp Soul coin DiA 125 gp
Elemental gem 1,000 gp Spell gem, obsidian OtA 50 gp
Eversmoking bottle 250 gp Spell gem, lazuli OtA 100 gp
Eyes of charming 60 gp Spies' murmer GGR 475 gp
Eyes of minute seeing* 100 gp Staff of the adder 350 gp
Eyes of the eagle 150 gp Staff of the python 250 gp
Figurine of wondrous power, silver raven 55 gp Stone of good luck (luckstone) 1,500 gp
Finder’s goggles RLW 310 gp Wheel of wind and water WGE, RLW 250 gp
Gauntlets of ogre power 1,500 gp Stone of ill luck TYP 50 gp
Gem of brightness 300 gp Sword of vengeance 450 gp
Glamerweave [projected pattern] RLW 125 gp Trident of fish command 530 gp
Gloves of missile snaring 250 gp Wand of entangle TYP 225 gp
Gloves of swimming and climbing 150 gp Wand of magic detection* 115 gp
Gloves of thievery 100 gp Wand of magic missiles 175 gp
Goggles of night* 220 gp Wand of secrets* 115 gp
Guild keyrune, Rakdos GGR 500 gp Wand of the war mage, +1 350 gp
Guild signet GGR 60 gp Wand of web 225 gp
Hat of disguise 200 gp Weapon, +1 250 gp
Headband of intellect 1,500 gp Weapon of warning 275 gp
Hellfire weapon DiA 200 gp Wind fan 110 gp
Helm of comprehending languages* 200 gp Winged boots 400 gp
Helm of telepathy 1,210 gp Wingwear PotA 135 gp
RARE MAGIC ITEMS (PART 1)
Item Value Item Value
Amulet of health 1,500 gp Figurine of wondrous power
Amulet of protection from turning TYP 4,600 gp Bronze griffon 905 gp
Armor, +1 525 gp Ebony fly 605 gp
Armor of resistance 600 gp Golden lion 1,510 gp
Armor of vulnerability 4,500 gp Ivory goats 3,000 gp
Arrow-catching shield 1,575 gp Marble elephant 905 gp
Badge of the Watch WDH 3,500 gp Onyx dog 505 gp
Bag of beans 505 gp Serpentine owl 505 gp
Banner of the krig rune SKT 4,500 gp Flame tongue 4,525 gp
Belt of dwarvenkind 3,545 gp Folding boat* 840 gp
Belt of giant strength, hill giant 5,000 gp Gavel of the venn rune SKT 950 gp
Berserker axe 1,325 gp Gem of seeing 1,080 gp
Blod stone SKT 2,200 gp (+5,000 gp gem) Ghost lantern ToA 1,200 gp
Boots of levitation 200 gp Giant slayer 750 gp
Boots of speed 550 gp Glamoured studded leather 725 gp
Bowl of commanding water elementals 1,000 gp Gauntlet of flaming fury DiA 2,950 gp
Bracers of defense 5,000 gp Guild Keyrune
Bracers of flying daggers WDH 1,250 gp Azorious GGR 3,020 gp
Brazier of commanding fire elementals 1,000 gp Boros GGR 4,290 gp
Cape of the mountebank 640 gp Gruul GGR 2,725 gp
Censer of controlling air elementals 1,000 gp Izzet GGR 1,500 gp
Charm of plant command GoS 4,100 gp Orzhov GGR 650 gp
Chime of opening* 550 gp Selesnya GGR 1,650 gp
Claws of the umber hulk PAp 3,200 gp Gulthias staff CoS 560 gp
Claw of the wyrm rune SKT 4,200 gp Hell hound cloak TYP 3,250 gp
Cloak of displacement 3,300 gp Helm of teleportation 3,150 gp
Cloak of the bat 3,120 gp Heward’s handy haversack* 350 gp
Cube of force 4,200 gp Horn of blasting 540 gp
Daern’s instant fortress 4,100 gp Horn of Valhalla, brass 2,700 gp
Dagger of blindsight DMM 3,200 gp Horn of Valhalla, silver 1,890 gp
Dagger of venom 525 gp Horseshoes of speed* 550 gp
Dimensional shackles 2,000 gp Instrument of the bard
Docent WGE 3,100 gp Canaith mandolin 1,094 gp
Dodecahedron of doom DMM 225 gp Cli lyre 2,010 gp
Dragon slayer 1,250 gp Ioun stone
Dragonguard LMP 675 gp Awareness 750 gp
Dragontooth dagger TRT 5,675 gp Protection 850 gp
Eagle whistle TYP 1,350 gp Reserve 1,000 gp
Elven chain 625 gp Sustenance 200 gp
Daern’s instant fortress 4,100 gp Iron bands of Bilarro 3,300 gp
Feather of diatryma summoning WDH 185 gp Knave’s Eye Patch WDH 525 gp
RARE MAGIC ITEMS (PART 2)
Item Value Item Value
Living armor RLW 2,025 gp Rod of the Vonindod SKT 550 gp
Loadstone TYP 50 gp (+150 gp gem) Rope of entanglement 2,200 gp
Mace of disruption 800 gp Saint Markovia’s thighbone CoS 650 gp
Mace of smiting 825 gp Scorpion armor ToA 850 gp (+1,500 gp plate)
Mace of terror 860 gp Shield, +2 2,250 gp
Mantle of spell resistance 2,500 gp Shield of far sight VGM 12,200 gp
Mind blade VGM 4,550 gp Shield of missile attraction 2,200 gp
Mind lash VGM 4,500 gp Spell gem
Mirror of the past TYP 3,800 gp Bloodstone OtA 1,350 gp
Mizzium armor GGR 1,300 gp Quartz OtA 550 gp
Mizzium mortar GGR 315 gp Spider staff LMP 715 gp
Necklace of prayer beads 0 gp (+beads) Staff of charming 1,200 gp
Bless bead (per bead) +20 gp Staff of defense LMP 1,100 gp
Curing bead (per bead) +110 gp Staff of healing 1,800 gp
Favor bead (per bead) +1,000 gp Staff of swarming insects 1,890 gp
Smiting bead (per bead) +110 gp Staff of the woodlands 5,000 gp
Summons bead (per bead) +2,600 gp Staff of withering 110 gp
Wind walking bead (per bead) +2,600 gp Stone of controlling earth elementals 1,000 gp
Opal of the ild rune SKT 2,720 gp Stonespeaker crystal OtA 550 gp
Orb of the stein rune SKT 1,070 gp Sun blade 4,500 gp
Pariah's shield GGR 2,700 gp Sunforger GGR 2,770 gp
Periapt of proof against poison 2,400 gp Sword of life stealing 1,050 gp
Piwafwi of fire resistance OtA 705 gp Sword of wounding 1,450 gp
Portable hole* 3,000 gp Tentacle rod 1,100 gp
Professor orb DMM 1,350 gp Vicious weapon 275 gp
Ring of animal influence 950 gp Wand of binding 1,550 gp
Ring of evasion 2,700 gp Wand of enemy detection 770 gp
Ring of feather falling 75 gp Wand of fear 950 gp
Ring of free action 3,200 gp Wand of fireballs 1,490 gp
Ring of protection 1,300 gp Wand of lightning bolts 1,490 gp
Ring of resistance 600 gp Wand of paralysis 5,000 gp
Ring of spell storing 5,000 gp Wand of the war mage, +2 2,600 gp
Ring of the ram 810 gp Wand of viscid globes OtA 3,300 gp
Ring of x-ray vision 2,400 gp Wand of winter HDQ 940 gp
Robe of eyes 1,480 gp Wand of wonder 810 gp
Robe of summer TYP 750 gp Weapon, +2 2,500 gp
Rod of rulership 600 gp Weird tank PAp 1,600 gp
Rod of the pact keeper, +2 3,000 gp Wings of flying 2,450 gp
VERY RARE MAGIC ITEMS
Item Value Item Value
Amulet of the black skull ToA 7,200 gp Manual of bodily health 48,000 gp
Amulet of the planes 42,000 gp Manual of gainful exercise 48,000 gp
Animated shield 5,250 gp Manual of golems 6,000 gp
Arcane propulsion arm RLW 175 gp Manual of quickness of action 48,000 gp
Armor, +2 5,250 gp Mirror of life trapping 50,000 gp
Bag of devouring* 150 gp Navigation orb SKT 35,000 gp
Battle standard of infernal power DiA 4,800 gp Nine lives stealer 38,950 gp
Belt of giant strength Oathbow 8,730 gp
Fire giant 25,000 gp Pennant of the vind rune SKT 610 gp
Frost giant, stone giant 10,000 gp Peregrine mask GGR 32,600 gp
Blast scepter DMM 6,225 gp Ring of regeneration 12,000 gp
Bracelet of rock magic TYP 9,560 gp Ring of shooting stars 1,260 gp
Carpet of flying 5,500 gp Ring of telekinesis 10,000 gp
Cloak of arachnida 2,400 gp Robe of scintillating colors 5,100 gp
Conch of teleportation SKT 36,000 gp Robe of stars 20,140 gp
Crystal ball (basic) 10,000 gp Rod of absorption 22,000 gp
Dancing sword 5,300 gp Rod of alertness 14,900 gp
Demon armor 325 gp Rod of security 21,000 gp
Devastation orb PotA 7,200 gp Rod of the pact keeper, +3 30,000 gp
Docent RLW 350 gp Scimitar of speed 7,750 gp
Dragon scale mail 5,275 gp Shard of the ise rune SKT 1,890 gp
Dwarven plate 5,400 gp Shield, +3 22,500 gp
Dwarven thrower 27,950 gp Shield of the uven rune DMM 3,170 gp
Dyrrn’s tentacle whip 2,400 gp Spear of backbiting TYP 5,250 gp
Efreeti bottle 16,660 gp Spell gem
Figurine of wondrous power, obsidian steed 1,280 gp Amber OtA 3,200 gp
Frost brand 5,150 gp Jade OtA 5,000 gp
Guild keyrune, Dimir GGR 3,550 gp Topaz OtA 18,000 gp
Guild keyrune, Golgari GGR 5,290 gp Speaking stone RLW 2,275 gp
Helm of brilliance 5,250 gp Spellguard shield 7,000 gp
Diamond (per gem) +6,300 gp Staff of fire 5,040 gp
Fire opal (per gem) +405 gp Staff of frost 13,430 gp
Opal (per gem) +405 gp Staff of power 49,850 gp
Ruby (per gem) +906 gp Staff of striking 26,500 gp
Horned ring DMM 5,000 gp Staff of thunder and lightning 3,650 gp
Horn of Valhalla, bronze 3,780 gp Sword of sharpness 1,675 gp
Horseshoes of a zephyr 6,000 gp Sword of Paruns GGR 3,500 gp
Illusionist's bracers GGR 24,000 gp Tearulai DMM 2,215 gp
Ingot of the skold rune SKT 1,150 gp Tome of clear thought 48,000 gp
Instrument of the bard, Anstruth harp 12,300 gp Tome of leadership and influence 48,000 gp
Ioun stone Tome of understanding 48,000 gp
Absorption 8,000 gp Ventilating lungs RLW 1,460 gp
Agility, Fortitude, or Insight 5,600 gp Voyager staff GGR 2,700 gp
Intellect, Leadership, or Strength 5,600 gp Wand of polymorph 2,160 gp
Kyrzin’s ooze RLW 3,550 gp Wand of the war mage, +3 25,100 gp
Lord’s ensemble WDH 5,750 gp Weapon, +3 25,000 gp
LEGENDARY MAGIC ITEMS
Item Value Item Value
Apparatus of Kwalish 55,000 gp Iron flask 60,500 gp
Armor, +3 52,500 gp Korolnor scepter SKT 34,060 gp
Armor of invulnerability 11,600 gp Lost crown of Besilmer PotA 4,400 gp
Azuredge WDH 26,650 gp Luck blade 50,050 gp
Belashyrra’s beholder crown RLW 99,950 gp Mabaran resonator WGE 250,000 gp
Belt of giant strength, cloud giant 55,000 gp Master’s call WGE 225,000 gp
Belt of giant strength, storm giant 95,000 gp Matalotok DiA 12,400 gp
Black crystal tablet DMM 9,500 gp Moonblade Varies based on effects
Blackrazor 225,000 gp Obsidian flint dragon plate DiA 6,060 gp
Blackstaff WDH 55,950 gp Orcsplitter PotA 5,300 gp
Bookmark ToA 26,430 gp Plate armor of etherealness 52,000 gp
Cloak of invisibility 6,400 gp Rakdos riteknife GGR 27,000 gp
Crystal ball Ring of djinni summoning 28,800 gp
+Mind reading 12,200 gp Ring of elemental command
+Telepathy 12,500 gp Air 9,570 gp
+True-seeing 17,200 gp Earth 8,450 gp
Cubic gate 61,200 gp Fire 5,570 gp
Dawnbringer OtA 4,750 gp Water 10,780 gp
Deck of many things 100,000 gp Ring of invisibility 1,100 gp
Defender 51,250 gp Ring of spell turning 4,500 gp
Dimensional seal WGE 100,000 gp Ring of three wishes 48,600 gp
Dragon mask Robe of the archmagi 70,000 gp
Black HDQ 16,850 gp Rod of lordly might 31,295 gp
Blue, green, red, or white TRT 16,700 gp Rod of resurrection 25,200 gp
Dragonstaff of Ahghairon WDH 14,500 gp Shield of the hidden lord DiA 5,480 gp
Efreeti chain 76,600 gp Silver sword, greater MTF 28,750 gp
Elemental weapons Scarab of protection 7,900 gp
Drown PotA 7,750 gp Spell gem
Ironfang PotA 10,900 gp Diamond OtA 81,000 gp
Tinderstrike PotA 12,900 gp Ruby OtA 36,000 gp
Windvane PotA 10,850 gp Star ruby OtA 21,000 gp
Fane-eater DiA 47,500 gp Spell sink WGE 125,000 gp
Gurt’s greataxe PotA 810 gp Sphere of annihilation 75,000 gp
Hammer of thunderbolts 89,550 gp Staff of the magi 109,950 gp
Hazirawn HDQ 27,500 gp Storm spire WGE 145,000 gp
Helm of the scavenger DMM 235,000 gp Sunsword CoS 4,700 gp
Holy avenger 101,500 gp Sword of answering 55,000 gp
Holy symbol of ravenkind CoS 17,200 gp Talisman of pure good 177,850 gp
Horn of Valhalla, iron 4,590 gp Talisman of the sphere 15,000 gp
Icon of Ravenloft CoS 4,590 gp Talisman of ultimate evil 169,750 gp
Infernal tack MTF, DiA 15,000 gp Tome of the stilled tongue 2,500 gp
Instrument of the bard, Ollamh harp 12,540 gp Vorpal sword 65,500 gp
Ioun stone Wave 64,000 gp
Greater absorption 30,000 gp Waythe TYP 1,495 gp
Mastery 10,000 gp Well of many worlds 200,000 gp
Regeneration 2,640 gp Whelm 52,500 gp
 supplements. There are now about 60 common magic
items in the game.
This section addresses the management of player efforts to Xanathar’s Guide to Everything also introduced rules to
acquire magic items. Magic items can be defining features buy magic items in complete contravention of the official
for characters, in their style and function. It is natural for paradigm. The demand for such a system illustrates how
players to aim their characters at the acquisition of players can carry forward the expectations and
particular magic items for these purposes. However, when momentum of previous editions, ignoring some changes to
players choose their own, whether by crafting or buying the current version of DUNGEONS & DRAGONS. Whatever the
items, or by questing after the legends of specific items, case, the ability to buy magic items is no longer something
they tend to abuse the power of selection. the rules explicitly discourage.
The power of selection is a phenomenon whereby a For more guidance on managing magic item purchases,
purposeful combination of class features and magic items refer to chapter 1 of this book. There you will find systems
creates a result more potent than the sum of its parts. For to help you use the rules from Xanathar’s Guide to
example, a player might craft several items that give Everything and to make those rules seem like a natural
overlapping bonuses to the same roll. Had the player found part of your game.
one of these items in a monster’s hoard, the bonus would
be reasonable. The Dungeon Master could have ensured
that no future hoards included items with overlapping The Dungeon Master’s Guide provides only half a page of
bonuses. However, by picking which items to craft, the text for the “Crafting a Magic Item” downtime activity. That
player gets around the random (or purposeful) lack of system, unfortunately, is unusable. Its costs are prohibitive
synergy among the items found in the game. in light of the wealth a party should acquire at the
The Dungeon Master’s Guide tries to avoid this effect by standard rate of treasure distribution. More importantly,
restricting the craft of magic items; as a default rule, player the time it takes to craft an item puts such an activity far
characters cannot make them. Even when it later gives outside the scope of a campaign and sometimes beyond
rules for crafting magic items, the DMG makes the costs the lifespan of a human character. The lack of usability
prohibitive unless your game awards wealth at rates much only serves to prove that magic item crafting is not
greater than intended. intended for player characters.
Mechanically, the prices of magic items previously However, because there are rules for crafting, and
reinforced their lack of marketability. The DMG assigns because buying is now an option (see the previous
price ranges to magic item ratings rather than pricing each subsection), there should be rules for crafting magic items
item individually. Not only are items grouped by broad that allow players to succeed, but also allow Dungeon
categories, those categories don’t well-correspond to Masters to moderate the outcomes and processes on a
power in many cases, and they don’t provide guidelines to case-by-case basis.
distinguish between items within the same category.
Although the Dungeon Master’s Guide once prohibited the
The DMG’s “Crafting a Magic Item” downtime activity has
purchase of magic items, Xanathar’s Guide to Everything
six requirements. The crafter must:
provides optional buying mechanics. The gist of these rules
makes purchases costly and random, except that 1. Possess an applicable formula
characters can sometimes try to find specific items. This 2. Meet requirements of special materials or
acknowledges the expectation and desire of D&D players locations (optional, at the DM’s discretion)
to have a hand in the items their characters acquire. 3. Pay a cost in gold pieces, the highest gp value for
the rarity’s price range
4. Pay a cost in downtime days, 1 day per 25 gp of
The default paradigm of the Dungeon Master’s Guide only the price of the previous requirement
allows the purchase of common-rated magic items. 5. Cast any spells the item duplicates and provide
However, the fifth edition launched with only four items their material components, once per day of the
that qualify, potions of healing and climbing and spell scrolls previous requirement (or once in the case of a
containing cantrips or 1st-level spells. It took several single-use item)
years, starting with Xanathar’s Guide to Everything, for 6. Have spellcasting and spell slots
common-rated magic items to begin appearing in official
This supplement provides additional guidance on
formulas (#1), special materials and locations (#2), and
gold piece costs (#3). It assumes that downtime days (#4), “seeds” help an artificer conjure and shape the magic for a
spellcasting (#5), and spell slots (#6) are self-explanatory. magic item. Only the simplest of items (common-rated and
The interconnection of magic formulas, special materials consumables) do not need use a seed in their creation.
and locations (“seeds”), and gold piece costs (“essentia”) When characters wish to create magic items, the DM
are described in this subsection. decides the nature of the seed required. This information
Formulas. Spellcasters cannot automatically intuit the is contained in a formula. Sometimes an outlay of gold is all
complex methodology of stuffing magical power into that is needed to buy such a seed. Sometimes a journey to
mundane items to produce magic items. This requires a the neighboring city, handled in downtime, is the only
formula, whether a recipe the spellcaster memorizes or the requirement. But more often, the crafter will need to go
diagrams and complex formulations from a weighty set of somewhere distant and do something dangerous to get a
tomes. Whatever the form, the requirement of a formula seed. As with finding a magic item by delving into a
helps the Dungeon Master control what magic items the monster’s layer, crafting a magic item probably requires a
party has access to, and allows the Dungeon Master to vary similar level of risk-to-reward. The DM should also allow
the resulting item to include special features. the character to seek out one of several seed options for
Importantly, a formula describes one or more seeds, the the same item. This is particularly important when
“special materials and locations” referenced in the describing esoteric or non-concrete items to collect. The
Dungeon Master’s Guide. options. Two formulas for the seed used has deep implications for the flavor or special
same item can have a great deal of variance in their features of the new magic item, so the player should have
methods and materials. The Dungeon Master determines if some choice in the matter.
the formula includes special properties, sentience, curses, The exact form of a seed must match key parameters of
or other features, a determination that may affect the value the item; not just the magical effect, but also its shape. The
of the formula. Dungeon Master determines this conformity. This
Alternately, the Dungeon Master may allow that minor requirement explains why some magic items are limited to
properties and quirks themselves have their own distinct certain forms. A different form would be possible with a
formulas, a combination of these with a normal formula different seed, but only a few seeds are known among
allows the spellcaster to customize the crafting of a magic arcanists. A character intending to craft a magic item can
item. Purposefully adding quirks to an item is useful automatically determine what seeds would be suitable if
because these reduce the amount of essentia needed for an the creation is a standard magic item or if the creator
item’s creation. An item with only minor properties or possesses a formula. For example, an oathbow is always a
quirks is a common-rated magic item. longbow. It is never any other type of bow. If someone
Depending on the rarity of magic items in your game wanted to make a shortbow into a version of this magic
world, formulas can be purchased from certain sellers, item, a different seed would be required, one not
experts in their fields, or they can be found as treasure. A commonly known to magic item crafters. Discovering the
formula typically has the same gold piece value as the right seed might require a significant amount of
magic item it describes. While not magical itself, the exploration, research, or invention.
formula can be used as often as time and resources allow. When acquired, a seed has some tangible physical form
A formula might appear in a hoard in the place of a or is held representationally in some sort of container.
magic item. Or it could be pieced together from multiple Alternately, it is a location where all enchantment must
discoveries using downtime activity for research. take place to infuse certain properties. Usually, these are
Sometimes these notes or activities simply give the ability not “magical” things; they cannot be distinguish by detect
to craft the sought formula with calligrapher’s tools, using magic spells. What they have in common is the challenge of
the normal crafting rules. their acquisition. The rarer the item to be crafted, the
The copying or creation of formulas might be beyond the harder it is for the crafter to find and acquire the seed.
ability of player characters, particularly legendary The nature of a magic item also reflects the nature of its
formulas. Remember that the default setting makes these seed. Seeds gathered from evil deeds or sources may be
techniques rare, essentially nonexistent. easier to acquire, but such seeds give the resulting item an
Seeds. The Dungeon Master’s Guide states that magic evil mien or alignment.
item crafting may require special materials or locations, Once the seed’s power is transferred into an object to
things we call “seeds.” Just as a spell might need a material create a magical item, the seed becomes a formless essence
component, something mundane that helps a spellcaster attached to the magic item, the “spirit” that defines the
conjure and shape the magic of a spell, so too do these item’s power and direction. If the seed is not a location,
using it in the creation of a magic item removes its Essentia. Essentia is the marrow of magic items, the vital
potential to serve as a seed in the future. force required for their creation and continued function.
If you do not wish to regulate what magic items the Destroying magic items with such methods as the
party turns its essentia into, you can make seeds for magic disenchant magic item spell creates essentia as a
items available from local spellcasters for a nominal price, byproduct. The other techniques to create raw essentia
or otherwise make seeds easy to acquire. This still allows were lost long ago, matching the restrictive paradigm of
the DM to impose special seed requirements if a character the Dungeon Master’s Guide.
wishes to create a magic item that varies from the In closed-loop magic item systems, essentia replaces the
standard options in official source books. gold piece cost for the Crafting a Magic Item downtime
If the seed requires defeating a monster, the challenge activity Instead of coins, the crafter provides the same
rating of the creature should adhere to this range: CR 1-3 value in the form of essentia. This means that the party can
(common item), CR 4-7 (uncommon item), CR 8-13 (rare only fund the creation of extra magic items by destroying
item), CR 14-19 (very rare item), CR 20+ (legendary item). some of the items they already possess or finding the raw
substance in a treasure hoard.
Essentia can also substitute for the costly material
SAMPLE SEEDS component of any spell that consumes its components. The
Rarity Example value of essentia thus consumed is equal to the gp cost of
Common An uncommon type of fur, as from a wolf; the material component it substitutes. For example, a raise
sweat from the artificer’s brow, collected dead spell requires a diamond worth at least 500 gp, which
while working in a garden; moss taken the spell consumes. An equal value of essentia suffices if no
from a temple roof such diamond is available.
Uncommon Rainwater collected in a silver basin on the
night of the full moon; oak leaves from a
tree that grows over a grave; the signet ESSENTIA IN STANDARD FORM
ring of some minor-ranked noble; a
Essentia is a dark brown mass of pulpy fibers that cling
laboratory or library where great learning
together in physics-defying ways. It resembles wet
takes place
wood pulp but is dry to the touch. For safe storage,
Rare The ashes of a very valuable painting; spellcasters diffuse the fibers into a container of water.
mushrooms from a faerie ring; a bone Thus held, the material can be easily identified by its
from your distant ancestor; the site of a unique smell, like ozone.
recent ritual sacrifice of a sentient being
Very Rare The blood of a hanged person who was ESSENTIA IN EBERRON (DRAGONSHARDS)
sentenced and executed but innocent of In Eberron, essentia comes from one of the three types
the crime; a flower that grows only in the of dragonshards, crystals imbued with magical energy.
distant and treacherous fire swamp; the In their raw form, these crystal shards come in a
teeth of a powerful beholder; a platform variety of rich hues. The different locations of dragon
built of rare materials high above sea shards present another means by which adventurers
level and etched with runes can acquire raw essentia. When processed, the
Legendary The petals of a rare cactus that flowers substance becomes a glowing dust rather than taking
only once in a decade; roots of a rhyme on essentia’s normal form.
tree which grows only in the haunted
ESSENTIA IN THE NENTIR VALE (RESIDUUM)
forest from which no one returns; ore
In the Nentir Vale, the “generic” setting of the fourth
from the heart of a volcano; the forge of
edition of DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, essentia is called
a primordial creature located in a deep
“residuum.” Some describe this fine, silvery dust as
fissure in the ocean floor
concentrated magic. It is sufficiently well known to
Artifact (for The tears of an ancient dragon; the brain of serve as currency in some exotic locales. Spellcasters
illustrative a creature that will become extinct when carry the substance in small metal vials, a convenient
purposes) you kill it; the severed voice of a powerful way to transport large sums of wealth in an essentially-
emperor weightless form.
 Essentia is also the vital ingredient that, when mixed physical integrity may limit the nature of either alteration.
with normal ink, creates the “rare ink” that wizards use to The Dungeon Master determines these restrictions, or the
scribe spells into their spellbooks. The amount of essentia magic item’s own description provides limits.
within the ink must be worth at least 50 gp per level of the Shape. Shape is the physical form of a magic item. An
spell to be inscribed. item’s shape must generally remain unaltered, though it
Because essentia is detectable as magic, there are many can be resized or have small modifications. A belt must
other uses to which it can be put. An amount mixed with remain a belt, not a bracer. A breastplate must remain a
lacquer and coating a wooden box might foil a detect magic breastplate, not incorporated into a larger suit of plate
spell, masking the magic of contained items, so long as the armor. So long as it remains generally intact, with its major
essentia used was costlier than the value of any single item components remaining, the magic should remain.
within. A trail of essentia could be left through a forest, For example, if it doesn’t already resize itself magically, a
sprinkled too lightly to notice with the naked eye, but clear suit of magical armor made for a dwarf might have the
to someone using detect magic. Additional uses, and their interior padding replaced, the straps altered, or other
exact parameters, are left to the Dungeon Master. adjustments made to fit a gnome. (See the Variant:
Equipment Sizes sidebar in chapter 5 of the Player’s
Handbook for suggested costs for such an enterprise.)
Particularly in closed-loop systems, magical items should Additionally, particular magic items dictate their forms.
survive minor alterations. An item’s two changeable A flame tongue is, by its own description, only applicable to
factors are shape and veneer. The item’s seed or its “any sword”; the enchantment fails if the weapon is
ground down into a dagger.
CLOSED-LOOP SYSTEMS Loose magical gemstones are particularly adaptable and
can usually be set into jewelry or made to adorn armor or
The Comprehensive Wealth Manual recommends a
weapons without damage. Despite a great alteration in
“closed-loop system” to insulate your campaign from
overall shape, the luster and gravitas of a gemstone sets it
the addition of extra magic items.
noticeably apart from the combined item. At the DM’s
In a closed loop, players cannot convert mundane
discretion, certain other magic items might likewise be
treasure into magic items. They cannot buy such items
adaptable to significant changes in overall shape.
with gold, but they still have some say in the magic
Veneer. These alterations are done by painting,
items they acquire; players can trade their magic items
engraving, embossing, gem-encrusting, spike-attaching,
for others, or they can break down their items into the
and the like, or by removing such decorations. Alterations
ingredients needed for crafting new magic items.
to veneer almost never disrupt the magic of an item, unless
In a closed loop, only the DM adds value to the closed
the item’s veneer has a specific purpose intertwined with
loop, doing so in the form of new magic item awards.
its magic, or the veneer is somehow dependent on the
Keeping wealth and magic items from converting freely
limitations of the seed itself.
into one another prevents the error of too much wealth
For example, an evil item might be built so that
from compounding into the error of too many magic
decorating it with good-affiliated holy symbols will
items. It also lets you use a completely different gp-
interfere with its power. Likewise, a sentient magic item
scale between mundane wealth and magic items.
might reject a new coloration as a defiance of its identity
As the DM, you can break the closed loop whenever it
and cease allowing its powers to function.
suits you, letting players buy a magic item here and
Assessing Limitations. A DC 15 Intelligence (Arcana)
there, but the standard controls prevent players from
check, made after examining the item for an hour, is
expecting this allowance. The rarity of such deviations
usually sufficient to determine the limits of alteration that
also makes it easy to convert a future-planned magic
a magic item will bear. The DM should make this roll in
item award into a mundane wealth award, thus
secret; a failure will yield a false result as to the degree of
balancing a magic item purchased with gold.
alteration permitted. Because of the importance and rarity
The “Spells for Magic Items” selection below is your
of magic items, a wise owner might try to get several
most powerful tool letting players influence the magic
second opinions from other skilled arcanists before
items they get while maintaining a closed loop.
making any sort of change.
Additionally, remember to allow magic item trades and
physical alterations when it suits your campaign.
 the healing potion. Each individual spellcaster can only
The following 1st-level spells make use of the seeds and cast this spell on the same item once per day, but multiple
essentia system to manipulate magic items. They are casters can contribute to speed up the process. Additional
particularly useful in campaigns that do not provide years casters must have proficiency with herbalism kits or have
of downtime so cannot use the magic item crafting rules a spell that heals hit points known or prepared while
given in the Dungeon Master’s Guide or in Xanathar’s Guide casting.
to Everything. With a spell slot of sufficient level (see below), this spell
These spells can be learned or prepared by any can add rare herbs to enhance an existing healing potion,
spellcaster, but not automatically. They represent one set turning it into a more potent version. Use the same process
of methodologies for creating and manipulating magic of enchantment described above but subtract the item’s
items. Alternately, the Dungeon Master can decide these existing value from the total value of the rare herbs
spell effects are usable like features by all spellcasters with required for the item’s new rating. The resulting healing
the ritual casting feature. potion must be of a type that the spell slot’s level can
To keep these systems rare or mysterious, the Dungeon affect.
Master may restrict them to non-player characters. At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell
Alternately, the Dungeon Master might only allow access slot of 3rd level or higher, you can spend up to 25 gp worth
to the Brew Healing Potion or Scribe Spell Scroll spells, of rare herbs with each casting and you can create a potion
deciding they use more basal item-creation techniques. of healing or greater healing. When you use a spell slot of
Another approach to limit these spells is to prevent them 6th level or higher, you can spend up to 100 gp worth of
from ever being learned or known by a caster, while rare herbs with each casting and can create potions of
distributing a limited instances of them in the form of spell healing, greater healing, and superior healing. When you
scrolls, the same number of distributions as the number of use a 9th level spell slot, you can spend up to 1,000 gp
magic items the Dungeon Master desires to add into the worth of rare herbs with each casting and can create
game. In this case, whichever classes the Dungeon Master potions of healing, greater healing, superior healing, and
wants can cast the spells as though they were on that supreme healing.
caster’s class spell list. When you use spell slots of higher levels, you can split
the rare herbs of this spell into multiple targets with each
casting. This allows you to brew multiple potions at a time,
1st-level transmutation (ritual) and potions of various potencies.
Casting Time: 4 hours
Range: Touch
Components: M (rare herbs valued at up to 5 gp, which
the spell consumes)
Duration: Instantaneous
OPTION: MORE MUNDANE HEALING
According to the Player’s Handbook, a character can
You cast this spell to infuse healing power into the already create basic potions of healing just like any
contents of a small container, a liquid or salve that will mundane craft. This requires an herbalism kit and
take on curative properties and become a potion of healing. proficiency with it, the right amount of ingredients, and
You must have proficiency with an herbalism kit and no magic whatsoever.
construct the target substance out of the material Because Xanathar’s Guide to Everything suggests
components. Alternately, you must have a spell that heals simpler methodologies for creating healing potions;
hit points, either known or prepared, during your casting the Dungeon Master may allow healing potions of any
of this spell on its target item. In this latter case, you do not rarity to be crafted with this same mundane method.
need any proficiency to get the material components to This allows a direct transfer of wealth to magic items;
mix sufficiently for the item. it would potentially spoil the separation of the party’s
After the first casting of this spell, the material two treasure tracks, were healing potions not so
components are subsumed into the object, which is then innocuous.
detectable as magic. Often the potion has no curative Regardless of how it is implemented, the choice is left
benefits after just one casting. To finish the magic item, to the Dungeon Master.
this spell must be cast repeatedly until the total value of
the rare herbs expended equals half the market value of
 seed to define the resulting magic. The Dungeon master
1st-level transmutation (ritual) determines these parameters on a case-by-case basis.
After the first casting of this spell, the seed and any
Casting Time: 10 minutes
material components are subsumed into the object, which
Range: Touch
is then detectable as magic. Usually, such an item has no
Components: V, S
magical capabilities or effects after one casting. To finish
Duration: Instantaneous
the magic item, this spell must be cast repeatedly until the
You maintain contact with the target uncommon magic total value of the essentia expended equals the value of the
item for the duration of the spell’s casting, at the end of magic item. A spellcaster can only cast this spell on the
which its magic is destroyed, along with its seed, turning it same item once per day, but multiple casters can target the
into a quantity of essentia equal to half the magic item’s item with this spell to speed up the process. When
value. The pulpy, magical substance appears on the ground calculating a magic item’s value, do not count an item’s
at your feet or in one or more indicated containers on your additional value based on its physical form, like the cost of
person at the spell’s completion. The physical form of the plate armor or the gold value of a magical crown. Only the
item remains unharmed but is now completely non- base magic item value, plus the value added by special
magical. features or effects, determines the required amount of
When calculating essentia, do not count an item’s essentia.
additional value based on its physical form, like the cost of This spell does not normally give a magic item any
plate armor or the gold value of a magical crown. Only the magical special features or sentience. However, at the
base magic item value, plus the value added by special Dungeon Master’s discretion, a specific formula or
features or other magic effects, impacts the resulting particularly rare seed may allow a magic item to gain one
amount of essentia. or more useful special features or sentience. If these have
This spell cannot recover essentia from any magic item associated values, the total amount of essentia required for
that did not use essentia in its crafting. This typically the enchantment is modified.
applies to minor magic items and some artifacts. If the mundane item this spell targets is being crafted
If this spell is used on a sentient magic item, the magic from raw components (perhaps using the crafting
item has the option to cause the spell to fail, depending on downtime rules), this spell can be cast on the materials
its own interests or whims. even before the mundane object is fully constructed, so
This spell will not work on an item that has a mystical long as the seed is present at the first casting. Simultaneous
connection with a creature, whether by attunement, the crafting and enchanting is a revered method for creating
bond of a warlock’s pact weapon, the magic of an active magic items, particularly among artisanal races like
curse, or some similar effect. The connection must be dwarves.
severed before the spell can have any effect. Items that produce spells (or that create effects
At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell essentially identical to spells) have a special requirement.
slot of 3rd level or higher, you can affect a rare magic item. You must have any such “item spells” known or prepared
When you use a spell slot of 6th level or higher, you can at the same time you cast this spell. If the item spells have
affect a very rare magic item. When you use a 9th level material components, these must be used in the first
spell slot, you can affect a legendary magic item. casting of this spell as well. If the item has the charge-
capacity or the natural ability to use the spell more than
once per day, multiply any necessary costly consumed
1st-level transmutation (ritual)
components by the number of possible daily uses, or 10,
Casting Time: 4 hours whichever is lower. If an item is consumed after only one
Range: Touch use, you need only use enough costly consumed
Components: V, S, M (essentia worth up to 5 gp, which the components for a single casting. These components are
spell consumes) additional to that of the enchant magic item spell.
Duration: Instantaneous With a spell slot of sufficient level (see below), this spell
can instead be used to increase the power of an existing
You cast this spell to infuse power into a mundane object
magic item. The item must be one that has a variable
with the intent of creating a common or uncommon
numerical bonus, with a current rating less than +3. Use
magical item. You must begin with an appropriate
the same process of enchantment described above but
mundane object, and you must have the right formula and
subtract the item’s existing value from the total value of
the essentia required for the item’s new rating. The the item’s function. The cost in essentia is 10 times the
resulting rarity must be one that the spell slot’s level can value reduction for the quirk. (See the previous chapter.)
affect. At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell
At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 3rd level or higher, you can spend up to 50 gp worth
slot of 3rd level or higher, you can spend up to 25 gp worth of essentia with each casting and you can repair a rare
of essentia with each casting and you can create or affect a magic item or remove its quirks.
rare magic item. When you use a spell slot of 6th level or higher, you can
When you use a spell slot of 6th level or higher, you can spend up to 500 gp worth of essentia with each casting and
spend up to 250 gp worth of essentia with each casting and you can repair a very rare magic item or remove its quirks.
you can create or affect a very rare magic item. When you use a 9th level spell slot, you can spend up to
When you use a 9th level spell slot, you can spend up to 5,000 gp worth of essentia with each casting and you can
2,500 gp worth of essentia with each casting and you can repair a legendary magic item or remove its quirks.
create or affect a legendary magic item.

1st-level transmutation (ritual)

1st-level transmutation (ritual) Casting Time: 4 hours
Casting Time: 4 hours Range: Touch
Range: Touch Components: V, M (essentia valued at up to 5 gp, infused
Components: V, S, M (essentia worth up to 10 gp, which in ink, which the spell consumes)
the spell consumes) Duration: Instantaneous
Duration: Instantaneous
You cast this spell to create a spell scroll of a cantrip or 1st-
You can use this spell to repair the enchantment of a level spell. Spell scrolls are not made in typical fashion;
common or uncommon magic item whose magic has been their method of creation is completely divorced from that
destroyed. The item’s physical form must have survived or of other magic items. Instead, they are spells partially-cast
been repaired, and the Dungeon Master must determine and hung in time with mystic rites, bound to a physical
that the item’s seed was not destroyed, as happens with the object. A spellcaster with the potential to cast the hung
disenchant magic item spell. This spell has no effect on spell may read the written symbols of unbinding to
items designed to be destroyed after use, like a potion that unleash the stored magic.
was consumed or a wand that died after its last charge was You must have proficiency with the Arcana skill and
spent. target a single sheet of parchment, using a pen to write
After a single casting of this spell, the object is once more mystic symbols with the rare ink component. You must
detectable as magic, but a single casting is usually not also know (or have prepared) the scribed spell when you
enough to allow any of the item’s magical effects to work cast this spell, and the scribed spell’s material components
yet. To finish the repair, this spell must be cast repeatedly are added to the casting of this spell.
until the total value of the essentia expended equals half After the first casting of this spell, the rare ink is
the value of the magic item. This cost applies even if the absorbed into the parchment, which is then detectable as
target is a minor magic item, one that was initially crafted magic. Often the spell scroll is not complete in one casting.
without the need for essentia. A spellcaster can only cast To finish it, this spell must be cast repeatedly until the total
this spell on the same item once per day, but multiple value of the expended essentia infused in the ink equals
casters can cast the spell to speed up the process. half the market value of the spell scroll, not counting
For this calculation, do not count an item’s additional increases for costly material components. If a costly
value based on its physical form, like the cost of plate material component is normally consumed in casting the
armor or the gold value of a magical crown. Only the base scribed spell, you need only expend it during the first
magic item value, plus the value added by special features casting of this when creating a single spell scroll.
or other magical effects, impacts the required amount of Unlike other items, a spell scroll cannot be collaborated
essentia. on to hasten its creation process.
Alternately, this spell can repair (remove) one or more At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell with a higher-
quirks from a common or uncommon item, so long as the level spell slot, you can create a spell scroll scribing a spell
Dungeon Master does not rule that the quirk is essential to of the same level as the slot expended. Alternately, you can
create a lower-level spell scroll more quickly because
higher-level slots allow you to infuse more essentia per example, the description of armor of resistance says it can
casting. apply to any kind of armor, so you could shift its
By casting this spell with a spell slot higher than 1st enchantment from a suit of studded leather to a suit of half
level, you can spend up to the indicated value of essentia plate with no difficulty.
infused in ink: 2nd-level (10 gp), 3rd-level (25 gp), 4th- In rare instances, the Dungeon Master may allow you to
level (40 gp), 5th-level (65 gp), 6th-level (180 gp), 7th- transfer an enchantment to a wholly different (or
level (210 gp), 8th-level (360 gp), 9th-level (675 gp). otherwise disallowed) physical form. Doing this requires
When you use spell slots of higher levels, you can also the discovery and use of a new seed, one previously
split the writing to cover multiple parchments with each unknown to magical artificers.
casting. A high-enough level of spell slot thereby allows If using the Rare Material Armor variant rule from the
you to scribe multiple spell scrolls in a single casting. Any Comprehensive Equipment Manual, adamantine armor and
costly material components that would have been mithral armor derive their effects from mundane material
expended in the casting of a scroll’s spell must be and are thus unaffected by this spell.
expended when creating each such spell scroll. If used on an item that has special features, this spell
transfers each effect that is attributable to magical power,
but not the portions of special features that simply
1st-level transmutation (ritual)
describe the magic item’s original physical form or history.
Casting Time: 1 hour If this spell is used on a sentient magic item, the magic
Range: Touch item has the option to cause the spell to fail, depending on
Components: V, S, M (essentia worth 25 gp, which the its own interests or whims.
spell consumes) This spell will not work on an item that has a mystical
Duration: Instantaneous connection to a creature, whether by attunement, the bond
of a warlock’s pact weapon, or some similar effect. The
For the duration of the spell’s casting, you maintain
connection must be severed before the spell can have any
contact with an uncommon magic item. You also maintain
effect.
contact with a mundane item into which you wish to
At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell
transfer the magic item’s power and seed. At the end of the
slot of 3rd level or higher, you can transfer the
spell, the magic is transferred, making the target item
enchantment of a rare magic item. The material
magical and leaving the previously-magical item non-
component for this rarity is essentia worth 125 gp.
magical but otherwise physically intact.
When you use a spell slot of 6th level or higher, you can
Because of the peculiarities of seeds, the physical form of
transfer the enchantment of a very rare magic item. The
the new item is somewhat restricted. It must be one that
material component for an item of this rarity is essentia
matches the original if the name or the magic item’s
worth 1,250 gp.
description. For example, the magic of a shabby old cloak
When you use a 9th level spell slot, you can transfer the
of protection could be transferred into the exquisitely-
enchantment of a legendary magic item. The material
made cape or mantle that is your symbol of office, but it
component for this rarity is essentia worth 12,500 gp.
could not be transferred into a belt. Magic item effects that
are flexible allow for more differences in the new item. For
 NVESTMENT IS THE PROCESS OF PLANTING WEALTH, HOPING Dungeon Master, you might require a character to explore
to grow it like weeds in a garden. With the right before finding an appropriate source location. Once
approach, and enough time, investment can be a gathered (see “Time to Craft” below), the craft component
profitable use for extra gold. become portable.
This chapter first addresses new options for A character determines the item a finished craft
artisan’s tools. The rest covers business investment and component will be specific to before gathering and shaping
similar money-making enterprises. it. Once processed, the materials are unsuited to crafting
any other item. At the DM’s discretion, very similar items
of equal or lesser value could be made from the
Official crafting rules are found in the Player’s Handbook components; an iron blade blank for a longsword can be
and expanded upon in Xanathar’s Guide to Everything. fashioned into the blade of almost any one-handed sword.
To summarize, a character proficient with (and Advice. Xanathar’s Guide to Everything gives a variant
possessing) the appropriate tools may craft items with rule allowing characters to purchase generic crafting
them. The material cost is half the total value of the item, components for alchemist’s supplies. These weigh 1 lb. per
and the project requires a number of eight-hour crafting 50 gp of value and serve as components for anything one
work days equal to one-fifth of the item’s standard gp can make with that tool set. If you use this option, you
value. (Items cheaper than 5 gp can be manufactured in must decide if such rules are specific to alchemy or if other
less than a day.) Multiple proficient crafters can contribute crafts can benefit from “universal components” like these.
to a project, reducing the time requirement proportionally.
While crafting, a character maintains a modest lifestyle at
To create craft components for an item, a character must
no cost or a comfortable lifestyle at a cost of 1 gp daily.
spend 2 days of downtime per 5 gp of the finished
The following optional rules allow Dungeon Masters to
product’s market value. This effectively triples the time it
add variety and alternatives to this crafting process.
takes to craft an item when doing so from scratch.
For example, a dwarven fighter wishes to craft a glaive
The creation system assumes that a character uses exactly but she does not wish to buy processed lumber for the haft
8 hours a day for crafting. The Pure Focus and Light Work or a blade blank to shape into the polearm’s head. Because
options on the next page add flexibility, letting characters she is proficient with woodcarver’s tools and smith’s tools,
spend more time or less time on their daily craft projects. and because she lives in a dwarven hall beneath some
wooded hills, she has the tools and materials necessary to
make the craft components herself.
Every crafting project requires raw materials that cost half In the dwarven halls, the character mines, smelts, and
the item’s market value. A character with the right tools, shapes the ore using a shovel and miner’s pick
proficiency, and available natural resources can spend (adventuring gear), smith’s tools (tools), and her ancestral
additional time to gather and process these raw materials forge (a workshop, described later in this supplement).
instead of paying for them. Next, she collects lumber with a saw (adventuring gear)
and shapes it with woodcarver’s tools (tools).
The material cost to craft a glaive is 10 gp, half its market
Processing craft components typically requires tools or
value; 4 days are needed to gather and process the raw
implements, decided by the Dungeon Master. For example,
material. With these components in hand, our fighter just
to make the wood components of a weapon, a character
needs another 2 days of the normal crafting downtime to
must find a large enough tree or branch, cut it to size,
put the glaive together with smith’s tools.
plane and smooth it, etc. This requires carpenter’s tools
(and proficiency with them). However, some activities, like
gathering plants for herbal brews, require no special tools Craft components can be sold for their full value (one-half
or processing equipment to acquire. the market value for the finished product). If the craft
Creating a craft component also requires a source for the component requires no specialized equipment or tool
material, usually a location where it appears naturally. A proficiency to gather, and if the raw materials are readily
stand of good timber or a patch of potent wildflowers accessible to anyone, the DM can reduce this price.
requires the character to stay nearby to harvest it. As the
VARIANT: PURE FOCUS (CRAFTING)
Providing that 8 hours are used for sleeping, eating, and other personal maintenance, a character still has 8 available hours
after a day otherwise filled with crafting. A character that has nothing else to do can choose to craft during this period too,
working almost every waking hour. Using pure focus allows a character to complete 10 gp worth of effort toward the
completion of the project in a day. However, this intense activity can be fatiguing, mentally and physically. A character that
utilizes pure focus gains one level of exhaustion. This exhaustion cannot be removed by non-magical means until the
character goes at least one day without using the pure focus crafting option.

VARIANT: LIGHT WORK (CRAFTING)

A character can perform light work, crafting for 4 hours and completing only 2.5 gp worth of effort toward a project inthat
day. This allows crafters to split effort between two projects in a work day or to work fewer than 8 full hours in a day.
Light work also suits characters who are travelling or adventuring. Normal travel assumes 8 hours of movement and 8
hours of sleeping, eating, and other personal maintenance. This leaves 8 hours for standing watch, sharpening blades,
grazing the horses, greasing wagon wheels, and other activities that adventurers perform daily. Within this non-traveling,
non-sleeping time, a character with the right tools and materials can carve out 4 hours to craft with.
To perform light work while out on the trail, a character must carry with her the appropriate artisan’s tools and
materials. Even before it is complete, the item being created has the same weight as a complete version, making some
projects impractical outside of a workshop. While adventuring (not in downtime) it is easier to track “work days” by
counting long rests. Performing light work on the road is a type of uptime activity, specific to crafting. (See below.)
For example, a dwarven fighter wants to craft a glaive during her upcoming adventure. She buys the raw materials
needed, spending 10 gp (half the market value of a glaive). These materials already weigh 6 pounds, the full weight of a
glaive. In addition, she must carry her smith’s tools with her, requiring another 8 pounds in her pack. Because the market
value of a glaive is 20 gp, and each light work day of crafting contributes 2.5 gp toward that total, completion requires 8
days of light work (8 long rests while travelling).
Advice. Xanathar’s Guide to Everything provides an optional rule for Dungeon Masters to allow small craft projects to
occur during adventures. The book suggests that a single dose of acid, alchemist’s fire, antitoxin, oil, perfume, or soap could
be crated with alchemist’s tools as part of a long rest. Likewise, a character proficient with weaver’s tools can craft a whole
outfit within a single long rest, and a character proficient with woodcarver’s tools can craft 5 or 20 arrows in a short or
long rest, respectively.
The timing suggested for such small crafts is completely divorced from the cost of the product, totally upending the
crafting system. Use that alternative (with the suggested artisan tool proficiencies) only if you favor abstracting the
crafting mechanics selectively. Just be aware that players who have selected unaffected artisan tool proficiencies may want
to reduce their crafting times as well.

VARIANT: UPTIME (ANY ACTIVITY)

The uptime activity variant allows access to the downtime rules, even while adventuring. Downtime is an important part of
the fifth edition of DUNGEONS & DRAGONS. When stories are too fast-paced for breaks, players left with no access to these
functions, often invalidating their selection of tool proficiencies. The uptime options seeks to cure that ill.
Instead of spending downtime days, characters use this system to pursue “uptime” activities. After traveling and
adventuring, sleeping and eating, and performing miscellaneous related duties, characters typically have a few hours
available during a day, about half the time needed for a normal downtime activity. Uptime activities are therefore half as
time-efficient as downtime activities, providing about four hours of effective work.
For every day of uptime activity, the character accrues only half a day’s worth of downtime results. (The light activity
variant above provides an example related to crafting.) The character must have paid all associated costs and have all
necessary tools, materials, research books, trainers, or similar resources with her while attempting uptime.
This system applies only to activities that could be performed while on the road, like crafting, researching, training, and
gathering craft components, and only so long as conditions are appropriate.
Record uptime activities at the same time the party takes a long rest. This is the usual time players record healing, mark
off rations, and resolve other incidental bookkeeping. If the party can’t take a long rest on a specific day, it is probably
because the characters are too busy, and such distractions tend to get in the way of uptime activity as well.
Characters often want to have items manufactured by
A DIFFERENT SORT OF GAME
others, typically when something is needed in a DUNGEONS & DRAGONS combines a number of possible
customized form. play types that interest different players to different
degrees. Pursuing mass manufacturing will tend to
dominate a campaign, but only in a way that interests
Commissioning crafts means paying skilled hirelings, the type of player who also likes math and resource-
costing an additional 2 gp each per day of the crafting gathering games.
process, above and beyond the cost of the materials. (This An operation like this can turn into an enjoyable
assumes the availability of skilled hirelings trained in the campaign. The party might grow a small operation into
right artisan’s tools.) Commissioning might also require a larger interest. Adventures might find material
that the character provide tools and a workspace for the sources, defeat brigands that impede shipping, and
hireling, depending on the circumstances. strangle the competition (literally or figuratively).
For example, our dwarven fighter wishes to commission Profits will turn upon successful negotiations over
a glaive. She stops at a small town where the local smith percentages.
owns the town forge and has his own tools. For four days’ For groups not interested in these details, such an
hire (8 gp) and the cost of materials (10 gp), this skilled operation is better handled with the business
artisan is willing to make the product to order. After a investment rules, below.
four-day wait, the dwarf has her new glaive. By waiting
around, the glaive cost her only 90% of the market value can be a challenge in and of itself, along with bringing them
and is shaped particularly to her instructions. all together under one roof.
Adventures relating to this element could include buying
Usually, up to two people can use the same set of artisan’s or leasing the right property, recruiting skilled or famous
tools at the same time if working on the same project. This artisans, and making deals to get ahold of a large quantity
allows for skilled characters to employ a skilled hireling to of second-hand tools.
assist and speed up the crafting process. Materials. Raw materials must be found to supply the
For example, the dwarf wishing to commission a glaive is operation. On a single-character scale, finding craft
also proficient with smith’s tools. She stops at the local components is a simple matter of paying some gold. But in
town and gets the smith to agree that they will both work mass manufacturing, local supplies will be quickly
in his forge to make the item. The dwarf needs only to exhausted. This can create its own logistical challenges
linger long enough for two days’ hire (4 gp) and provide depending on the size of the operation.
the cost of materials (10 gp), getting her a new glaive for Adventures relating to this element could include finding
70% of the market value. a vast source of raw materials to set up near, after which
the party must probably find a way to legally inhabit the
space. If the party already has a facility, a business
Under ideal circumstances, characters should be able to arrangement might instead be made with a materials-
use adventuring profits to employ multiple artisans for importer of some kind.
mass-manufacturing. Markets. Items sold off the back of a wagon do not
A player who carefully tracks all the costs and garner a profit; customers will value them as used goods
percentages of mass manufacturing will find that such an and only pay half their market value. To sell items at full
operation profits 15 sp per day per artisan employed, after price, those items must be placed into official, customer-
payroll and ingredient costs. This means a basic profit of trusted markets. Customers will pay full price at
30%. Unfortunately, a lot of initial investment goes into established shops. Unfortunately, unless the party also
this setup, and a lot of factors will reduce that profit. owns those shops, the shops will demand their own
Local Logistics. To pay artisans half cost for being “long profits, keeping about half of the basic 30% profit for
term” (by providing room and board), sufficient barracks themselves.
and cafeteria space for the workers must be provided. Adventures relating to this element can be as simple as
Additionally, these hirelings need enough sets of artisan’s negotiating the percentage, but they might also require
tools to work with. Hiring is often more complex than just “convincing” shop owners to abandoned contracts of
paying an outlay; finding so many skilled artisans to hire exclusivity with the competition, or to make such contracts
with the party.
 Shipping. Materials have to come into the crafting Each property is staffed by a number of hirelings,
facility and finished goods have to go out. Few markets can including a steward who can take charge of almost
handle the number of products contemplated by such an everything. Hirelings’ wages are included in the property’s
operation, so shipping must disperse goods between maintenance cost. Garrison members are skilled hirelings
multiple towns and cities. The presence of rivers and well- trained and equipped to fight; they use the guard statistics
kept roads can help to facilitate the additional overhead of in the Monster Manual. For every full 10 members of a
getting goods to market. However, shippers need to be garrison, replace one guard with a veteran.
paid and import taxes may also apply.
Adventures relating to this element might include
Sometimes property is acquired as part of a feudal system.
clearing threats or obstructions to land, protecting a
Examples include a noble estate, fortified tower, outpost,
bridge-building crew working in dangerous environs, or
fort, keep, small castle, large castle, or palace. While these
winning rights to import goods without local taxation.
enterprises can be private, they more often represent a
grant of land and title from a powerful sovereign.
Grants of this nature typically come with a noble title.
This section includes an expansion of the normal rules for
Sometimes the grant is for land and permission to build on
investing wealth, along with a tune-up of those rules
it, but more often it includes lordship over an existing
designed to simplify running their use.
estate or fortification. In the latter case, no construction
costs or times are required for the owner to take up
Many business operations are tied to their premises, the residence, but some spring cleaning might be in order.
structure that houses the enterprise. Each of the Sometimes a sovereign will assign title to a property that
properties on the Buildings and Maintenance Costs table has been overrun by orcs or trolls, on condition that the
can form the basis of a business. new lord or lady of the land can secure it successfully.
While a property is typically directed by a, manager, Although these properties use the standard rules for
steward, or castellan, allowing the owning character to go businesses, they are non-commercial in nature. They earn
out adventuring, the profits and losses are better managed income in the form of taxes collected from the surrounding
if the character sticks around to direct things. peasantry and merchant class. They pay expenses in the
Where a structure includes or implies additional form of upkeep for soldiers, maintenance and security for
buildings, like the area around a palace or the boarding the surrounding land, and taxes tendered to higher-ranked
house for a shop’s workers, these are included in the nobles or royalty.
building’s construction and maintenance cost. In the case of a failed “business” for unpaid debts in the
Note that the Building and Maintenance Costs table has feudal system, where there has been no up-front purchase
two columns used in chapter 5, Garrison Strength and of the property by the “owner,” the whole enterprise
Skilled Hirelings. simply reverts to the possession of the sovereign. The
original grantor will pay the outstanding debts and then
assign a worthier trustee to manage things in the future. If
Private land to build costs between 100 gp and 5,000 gp, the owner has invested construction costs, these might be
and in some cases even higher. Once land is acquired, a lost or reimbursed on the whim of the sovereign, or other
property needs significant wealth and time to develop. things of value might be given instead. Losing a business
Construction may continue without direct oversight by the like this almost always means the character is stripped of
owner, but each “day” of construction with the owner any accompanying noble title.
absent requires the passage of 4 actual days. [This is a
correction of the DMG’s time-bending math error.]
If the opportunity presents itself, an available property Every month, a business checks for losses or profits and
can be purchased for an amount equal to its construction pays its expenses, referring to the two tables in this
cost. If a property is in a run-down state, the DM will section. To check for losses and profits, roll d100 and add
assign a percentage of ruin, usually 25%, 50%, or 75%. the number of downtime days the owning character or
Repairing the property requires the equivalent percentage characters have contributed to the hands-on running of
of the property’s construction cost and construction time. the business (maximum of 30 days total among all
A property purchased in a run-down state will have its contributors). Compare this result to the Losses and
priced reduced by the same percentage to compensate. Profits table.
LOSSES AND PROFITS If the Dungeon Master wishes to further simplify things,
she can peg the property’s maintenance cost to half the
d100 days Result
value of a level-appropriate bundle for the party. As the
01-20 You must pay one and a half times the
characters grow, the business grows and expands, thus the
business’ maintenance cost for the month.
losses and profits automatically adjust accordingly. This is
21-30 You must pay the business’ full maintenance
an excellent way to abstract the process of developing and
cost for the month.
diversifying an existing business. A fortified tower might
31-40 You must pay half the business’ maintenance grow into a keep and then into a large castle. A small
cost for the month. Profits cover the rest. temple might become a large one, and eventually grow into
41-60 The business covers its own maintenance the regional hub for administrators and pilgrims of that
cost for the month. religion. A roadside inn might grow in popularity, with a
61-80 The business covers its own maintenance small town springing up around it, becoming a town inn.
cost for the month. It earns a profit of one- Pegging maintenance to wealth bundle values also lets
quarter the maintenance cost. the Dungeon Master keep profits and losses reasonable if
81-90 The business covers its own maintenance the characters somehow acquire a property that is not
cost for the month. It earns a profit of one- level-appropriate. A party of 4th-level characters might
half the maintenance cost. normally have no business trying to run a small castle, for
91+ The business covers its own maintenance which the losses and profits would otherwise seem
cost for the month. It earns a profit of three- staggering to them.
quarters the maintenance cost.

If the roll result generates a maintenance cost (half, full, Buildings and fortifications are described below.
or one-and-a-half), this must be paid out of the owners’ Abbey. This building complex houses members of a
pocket. Failure to pay immediately creates a “debt” for the religious order. It typically exists in a remote setting and
unpaid portion. Debts not paid right away can sometimes has barracks, gardens, and other facilities sufficient to
be wiped out or reduced by exchanging favors or services support several dozen monks, mystics, or other residents.
to whatever source or supplier owns the debt, perhaps as Cottage. This building resembles a large family dwelling.
part of an adventure. It has two floors and about seven separate rooms. It can
Each debt still existing at the time of the next month’s house a family of up to 10, or some other close-knit group
losses and profits roll imposes a -10 penalty to the roll. of people, so long as bedrooms are shared.
Failure to pay off a specific debt within 12 months typically Farm. A farm includes a farmhouse, like a cottage, and
ends the business; properties and inventories are seized several fields to cultivate. It also has a barn, warehouse, or
and sold at auction (at half the value of the original grain silo for housing livestock or storing crops.
investment), debts are paid from that amount, and the Guildhall, Town or City. This building is several stories
remainder reverts to the owner. tall. It contains offices, operational facilities (like an
If the roll generates a profit, this accrues immediately to adjacent warehouse or workhouse), accounting facilities, a
the owner(s), although characters would be wise to keep secure vault for wealth and business records, small-but-
enough of the profits on hand to cover losses made in comfortable rooms for visiting guildmembers, and a
future months. variety of other things. The ornamentation of a guildhall
Calendaring Time. The investment systems in this particularly reflects the success and prosperity of the
chapter assumes a 30-day month and a 12-month year. If guild.
your campaign uses a calendar of a different scale, you Inn, Rural Roadside. A roadside inn is an all-
may want to adjust these figures accordingly. encompassing stop-off point for travelers. It includes a
stable for horses, a bevy of cheap rooms, a kitchen that
serves hot meals, and a small assortment of drinks
If the Dungeon Master employs the wealth bundles system available at the bar.
from chapter 1, any business profits or losses made within Inn, Town or City. This inn serves a higher fare than a
a character level should be limited to about + or - a single roadside inn. It offers no stabling but does provide a wide
level-appropriate bundle, give or take a bit, calculated as array of food and beverage qualities, as well as rooms in
an addition or subtraction from the treasure chart. various sizes. Services and accommodations are more
BUILDING AND MAINTENANCE COSTS
Construction Construction Maintenance Garrison Skilled Untrained
Property Type Cost Time Cost / Month Strength Hirelings Hirelings
Abbey 50,000 gp 400 days 600 gp — 5 25
Cottage 50 gp 10 days 2 gp — — —
Factory, large 3,500 gp 65 days 275 gp — 2 —
Factory, small 1,000 gp 40 days 100 gp 8 10 —
Farm 100 gp 30 days 15 gp — 1 2
Guildhall, town or city 5,000 gp 60 days 150 gp — 5 3
Inn, rural roadside 400 gp 30 days 300 gp 4 5 10
Inn, town or city 800 gp 40 days 150 gp — 1 5
Keep or small castle 50,000 gp 400 days 3,000 gp 45 50 50
Lodge, hunting 500 gp 20 days 15 gp — 1 —
Noble estate with manor 25,000 gp 150 days 300 gp 2 3 15
Outpost or fort 15,000 gp 100 days 1,500 gp 18 20 40
Palace or large castle 500,000 gp 1,200 days 12,000 gp 180 200 100
Shack 10 gp 3 days 0 gp — — —
Shop 2,000 gp 25 days 60 gp — 1 —
Temple, large 50,000 gp 400 days 750 gp 4 10 10
Temple, small 1,000 gp 25 days 30 gp — 2 —
Tower, fortified 15,000 gp 100 days 750 gp 8 2 —
Trading post 5,000 gp 60 days 300 gp — 4 2

expensive not just for their quality, but also because of Palace or Large Castle. This is a larger version of a
their proximity to a population center. normal keep or castle. The term “palace” generally denotes
Keep or Castle. This stone building or set of buildings is a lower level of military security, as a place situated deep
constructed for security and to project military power over in the heart of a kingdom or empire, but implies a great
the surrounding countryside. It is probably built in a deal more luxury.
strategic location, perhaps with natural barriers protecting Shack. The simplest of buildings, this wooden one-room
it, and commonly boasts a high curtain wall capable of construction provides bare shelter from the elements, a
repelling a siege. few sticks of furniture, and a single fireplace or cookstove.
Lodge, Hunting. This building is strategically located in Shop. This facility is an attractive building arranged to
useful hunting grounds. It has bare accommodations for a welcome customers, display wares, and store excess
half-dozen hunters, including living facilities. It also inventory. Most shops have a small living facility above
provides the tools and room necessary to butcher and them or in the back.
preserve meat, process hides, and perform other tasks Temple, Large. A large temple is suited to the size of a
common to hunting. congregation one might find in a large city. There are
Noble Estate with Manor. A noble estate serves much of offices for clergy, a large worshiping room or hall, nooks
the same function as a keep or castle, but without the and alcoves for quiet meditation, and decorations
military fortification. In unsettled, frontier lands, a noble appropriate to the deity or pantheons patronized.
estate is likely to have some soldiers and an outer wall. Temple, Small. A smaller version of the temple, this
Outpost or Fort. This construction resembles a primitive building usually has living facilities for a single priest and a
castle, built mostly of wood with walls made of log congregating area for a couple of dozen worshipers at
palisades. It otherwise includes military lodgings and other most.
logistical facilities to serve the same functions. A fort or Tower, Fortified. This tower is a small facility, often
outpost is often a precursor to a castle, built to be used to project military might into distant areas like
operational while a real castle is constructed nearby, or mountain passes, places where conflicts are unlikely, but a
simply upgraded bit-by-bit until it turns into a castle. military force or set of watchful eyes are important.
Fortified towers are also a favorite with reclusive wizards suggests that incremental gains are possible during
and the like. downtime activity, when a character “undertakes minor
Trading Post. A trading post is a collection of shops, tasks for the organization and socializes with its
usually of basic construction, often erected near frontier members.” However, organizations almost universally
areas. These facilities have some measure of security like a value strategic donations just as well as donated time.
log palisade or they exist in proximity to a military A character (or party) wishing to gain renown may
garrison. Trading at these posts is usually lucrative, often donate wealth in various forms. Temples may notice the
exchanging basic goods for valuable frontier resources, giving of alms on a large scale. A small town may
including rare furs or minerals. appreciate infrastructural investments that will not need
to be paid back. And any organization that has the
potential for corruption may appreciate bribes given
Simple investment requires no purchases, relying upon directly to its members. (At least those members will likely
intermediaries to handle set-up and maintenance. The appreciate it!)
investing character simply provides an amount of wealth The amount of wealth needed to gain renown within an
to assist in the initial enterprise or re-pays a portion of the organization depends on the giver’s current rating.
set-up costs, gaining access to the profits. Typically, the cost is 50 gp multiplied by the current
The Dungeon Master can track outside investments renown rating. The Dungeon Master may adjust this
abstractly or can make rolls using the structural requirement up or down, depending on the size of the
investment systems above. In the latter case, the DM organization. A small organization with few assets is easier
should apply a consistent bonus somewhere between 1 to influence, whereas a large group with plentiful
and 20 to the profits and losses roll. This should reflect the resources might be less impressed by monetary gifts.
strength of the investment opportunity and it replaces any Moreover, some organizations are particularly resistant to
bonus from the participation of the “owner.” Profits are the influence of outside money, depending on political or
usually paid out at the end of the year, dispersing moral philosophies.
percentages of the net gain across the 12 prior months. While renown does not grant direct monetary rewards,
A character that owns a share of a business receives a it is sometimes just as good. The perks at low rank often
percentage of the net profits equal to the percentage of the include such things as access to reliable adventure leads, a
initial set-up costs that were provided. For example, safe house, or a trader willing to offer a discount on
providing half of the set-up costs for an enterprise entitles adventuring gear. At mid-rank, adventurers might gain a
the character to half of the profits thereafter. This follower, access to consumable magic items, or military
ownership share, or “investment percentage,” is a valuable backup for a dangerous mission. At the highest ranks, a
commodity that can be traded or sold in the future. renowned party might be able to call upon a small army,
Savvy investors often buy shares with associated terms. take temporary custody of a rare magic item, gain access to
Depending on the exact terms of investment, a character high-level spellcasting, or be able to use lower-ranked
(or coalition of characters) holding shares valued at a members as agents to which tasks may be assigned.
certain percentage of the set-up costs (often 51% or
more), often have a say in how the business operates,
wresting absolute control away from the founder. Such Favors are more abstract than renown and they can be
maneuvers can add intrigue to certain types of campaigns. owed or owned by individuals or groups alike. Exchanging
wealth for favors requires a more strategic approach than
buying generalized renown. Because the entire renown
Not all monetary outlays are made intending to gain a system constitutes optional rules, a Dungeon Master who
profit. Sometimes characters give gifts or attempt to does not use them might consider favors to be an easier,
influence others with donations. (This section does not more-abstract alternative.
describe bribing officials for commercial gain—that is Using wealth to get a favor is a tricky endeavor.
considered a normal expense for a business.) Randomly gifting wealth usually improves the receiver’s
attitude toward the giver and may create a generalized
sense of obligation corresponding to the gift’s value. But
Renown with an organization is typically gained or lost
the sense of obligation is easily cured by a gift of equal
based on great deeds. But characters can also gain renown
measure or simply repaying the gift. The trick to turning
with purposeful strategies designed to raise their profile
wealth into favors is capitalizing on opportunities where
within the organization. The Dungeon Master’s Guide
an existing need for money plays upon the receiver’s saved his very identity; he doesn’t just remember the
emotions, honor, or even the receiver’s life. number of gold pieces that were handed to him in a sack.
For example, a young baronet has just inherited his The Dungeon Master must determine ad hoc what
father’s lands and titles. He quickly discovers that taxes on degree of favor results from a gift of this nature,
the familial estate weren’t paid for the last five years. At performing a case-by-case calculus to weigh the impact of
stake is the young man’s noble title and the dignity of his the specific opportunity and the wealth expended.
house. A strategic gift here is a good way to be owed a An additional discussion of favors can be found earlier in
favor because more than just wealth is at stake. When that this book under Nonmaterial Assets.
favor is called in, the baronet remembers that the payment
 ONSTRUCTION IDEAS IN THIS CHAPTER REFER TO THE share common interests with the party and some may be
acquisition of land; the creation, alteration, and suitable to begin adventuring. When a new player’s
maintenance of structures; and the building of character (or an old player’s new character) is a known
ships and their components. It also covers siege person, that character is easily integrated into the party.
engines, those weapons of war designed to
defend structures and ships.
Unlike the earlier section that describes abstract rules for
fortifications as investments, this section drills down to the
minutiae of construction projects.
Industrious characters may acquire enough wealth to buy
If these rules are to be used, they should apply only to
and maintain land, structures, or even sea vessels. These
one location in a campaign, a single place to which the
major investments can be handled with very little detail, or
party frequently returns and spends their time, perhaps
they can become the entire focus of a campaign.
using it as a headquarters. It constitutes too much
This section provides details and costs for managing
bookkeeping to be used on any larger scale. It might also
construction. The Dungeon Master can use as much or as
fail to capture the interests of the players; a DM should poll
little of this information as needed, whatever suits the
the players to see if land ownership suits them, or perhaps
level of detail desired for the campaign.
introduce one of the starter kits to the characters in the
The Dungeon Master’s Guide suggests that player
course of play and see if they have any interest in using it
characters might acquire land and fortresses at 11th level
and growing it into something better.
or beyond, while in the “Master of the Realm” character
tier. Being landholders helps the characters make their
mark on the world, which is an underlying theme to this
character tier. THIRD-PARTY PRODUCT COMPATIBILITY:
Land ownership particularly reflects class features of
earlier editions of DUNGEONS & DRAGONS. For example, prior
STRONGHOLDS & FOLLOWERS
to the 2nd Edition, warrior-type classes would acquire If you are using Matt Colville’s Strongholds & Followers,
title, land, and a following of soldiers upon reaching by MCDM Productions, you will notice that the prices
certain character levels. However, warriors no longer gain and stronghold “types” in that book do not align with
such benefits by default. Owning property should not be the standard scale, that which is found in the Dungeon
inherent to warrior classes or character levels, nor should Master’s Guide and in this product.
every property be a fortress or military outpost of that The standard costs assume the party gains land at
type. Additionally, most adventuring parties have no use around 11th level, as suggested by the Dungeon
for property or followers, making these additions specific Master’s Guide. Mr. Colville’s product, by putting
to the campaigns of parties that want them. strongholds foremost in the player’s minds, anticipates
land ownership at around 7th level, thus the reduction
in pricing to match what is affordable at that level.
The advantages of having a party-owned property are Neither pricing mechanism is superior. Both assume
multiple and the benefits are useful at any level. As the that land acquisition will reflect what characters can
characters develop the location and build its facilities or afford when it becomes a factor in the campaign. The
capabilities, the construction becomes something like a Dungeon Master is in charge of both factors here, the
character in its own right, one that is shared among all the price of any given property as well as the amount of
players. It can serve as a unifying factor for party members wealth the party has access to in order to pay for it.
that might otherwise have little reason to stick together, (See the Wealth chapter for details.)
particularly after their early quests or storylines have To keep the figures straight, if your players want a
resolved. Having a shared home means characters are less stronghold before the Masters of the Realm tier, we
likely to go their own way. suggest adjusting the “buying power” lever rather than
The location can also serve as a source of replacement lowering the value of strongholds to match Mr.
player characters if a party member is lost, killed, or a Colville’s product. Alternately, use a costless (or lower-
player simply wants to try something new; the NPCs cost) gain method, as described below.
employed in (or associated with) the fortification might
 can usually walk away from it if it does not suit the players’
Starter kits are fleshed-out “introductions” to property goals or ambitions for the game. There is rarely a strong
ownership, a description of land and how it is acquired. sense of obligation involved.
Often, the most difficult hurdle for players to explore this Seizure. Depending on the nature of local government,
aspect of the game is finding a starting point and or if there is none, land can sometimes be owned by those
determining the nature of initial investments. who move in and build on it. Perhaps free land is being
A starter kit pre-defines three factors to make things offered to anyone who is willing to settle the wild frontier
easier on the players: in the eastern reaches of the kingdom. In some territories,
like the Underdark, possession of land is down to pure
1. The Gain conquest, but this ownership “right” does not include any
2. The Land protection from others conquering the same territory in
3. The Fixtures return.
Taking by right of possession usually means the land is
The Dungeon Master determines the nature of each
undeveloped. Wilderness must be cleared and tamed for
component in a kit using the following guidelines.
its intended use and construction must begin from scratch.
Alternately, ancient ruins may provide a basis for
This component determines how the players get construction. In some cases, hostile natives resent the idea
ownership or use-rights to property. These are just of having new neighbors and work against the party.
examples; the DM is free to make up other versions of how Purchase. The simplest way to acquire land is to
the characters might acquire ownership. purchase it. Most deeds can be bought for as little as 100
Grant. To begin a property-owning endeavor, the gp or as much as 1,000 gp, depending on the location of the
Dungeon Master’s Guide proposes that land might be property. A very large property might be bought for 5,000
deeded to the party by a local ruler. This is a classic gp or more, if it can be bought at all. This contemplates
“medieval fantasy” method to gain property. It usually open land; the presence of buildings or other fixtures will
comes with a knighthood or some noble titles, depending increase a deed’s cost dramatically.
on its value. In feudal societies, all land is truly owned by the crown.
A grant is appropriate for characters that have Land “owners” simply have a right to use the land for their
performed great deeds and gained recognition from noble lifetimes, a right which passes down to their heirs. This
or royal benefactors. Significant grants are appropriate for persists until the sovereign revokes that right or an owner
characters in the Masters of the Realm character tier dies without heir. In addition, the crown allows temples
(11th-16th level). Locations given to such characters tend and political orders to hold large tracts in various locations
to have strategic significance, the buildings tend to be suitable for their important works. In such societies,
fortified for military use, and the political nature of the characters may lease property from a landholder such as
grant tends to embroil the new owners in warfare and
court intrigue. These are factors probably not suitable to
BUYING POWER
lower-level campaigns or characters.
Much commotion is made over the cost to purchase
Inheritance. An inheritance requires no initiation on the
expensive properties, but the prices in this (and other
part of the player characters. It simply happens to one of
third-party books about properties) simply cannot
the party members; the agent of a banking house, small
reflect the most important factor in a land-gain: The
town, or local lord finds the affected character and
Dungeon Master explicitly controls the party’s wealth
presents her with a deed to the property. An inheritance is
and buying power.
a good way to move a party to a new area, making them
Listed prices are immaterial because the Dungeon
travel to investigate the property and giving them a base to
Master can easily increase the amount of wealth a
operate from once they arrive. It is also a fine way to start
party has when the players express an earnest interest
a new campaign.
in land ownership. In addition to subtly reducing a
Inheritance is appropriate for any property or character
price, players may also call in favors to defray such
level. A low-level character might inherit a farm or an inn
costs. Taking custody of a stronghold might even be
that the party can work in downtime. For a higher-level
free, except that the Dungeon Master may wish to use
character, the land might include a noble estate and a title
this chance to drain off the party’s excessive wealth.
to go with it. Inheritance is also useful in that characters
this if they have no opportunity to earn a grant from the Location. Perhaps the most important factor for a piece
sovereign. Leases are cheaper than deeds; a 20-year right of land is its position relative to other important locations.
to use land will usually cost only half the value of Is the land in the capital city, thus in high demand and with
purchasing it. high value? Is it far from any major roads or trade routes,
thus low in value but high in positional security? Land
particularly rises in value as it approaches population
The next kit component is the nature and location of the
centers, which include the sources of government,
land, including any existing occupants. To define this
commerce, and learning.
component, the Dungeon Master should compose a brief
Unless there is a reason for some other type of property,
description after contemplating the following factors.
a kit intended for the player characters to build on should
Size. The first thing to determine is the size of the
have convenient positioning, if not a valuable location.
property. This basically breaks down into one of two
Accessibility. Similar to the question of location is the
categories, personal parcels and landholder parcels. The
question of accessibility. While this has something to do
nature of this division can have a significant impact on
with location, it is more dependent on the presence of
how the property interacts with the campaign.
roadways, navigable rivers, and passable terrain around
Personal parcels are suitable for building a single house,
the property. A riverside or seaside property is quite high
fortified tower, shop, temple, or the like. They often
in accessibility, particularly land with its own harbor.
include enough land to support the operation of a small
A poorly-accessible property is good for an owner that
business, whether that’s access to a roadway for an inn,
values security and solitude. However, it detracts from the
proximity to the king’s forest for a leatherworker that has
owner’s ability to engage in commerce or attract wanted
a hunting right there, or a few hills rich in minerals for a
neighbors (or supportive peasants for a feudal property).
mining operation. Personal parcels are often found amid
The land’s natural resources lose value since getting them
neighboring small parcels, near or within a town, city, or
to market is costly.
other population center. For logistical reasons, a personal
Natural Resources. This factor indicates the presence of
parcel is unlikely to be found in a remote region.
timber, minerals, arable land, fishable rivers or oceanside,
In some cases, personal parcels can be expanded to the
or other resources that can be relied upon to aid
size of landholder parcels. This growth potential suits the
subsistence or trade. Natural resources are the main
future growth of the characters. It allows them to start
source of “profits” from a land investment. A range of
with a small piece of land and graduate to a larger piece if
craggy mountains above the tree line, with no significant
they are successful in managing it.
mineral resources, is a desolate and valueless place indeed.
Landholder parcels are large enough to allow
Most natural resources are beyond the means for a party
subordinate residents, members of a town, farming
alone to access. The skills, tools, and free time needed to
community, or similar enterprise. Landholder parcels are
harvest lumber, mine minerals, farm the land, or fish the
typically the type given to noble title-holders. In a feudal
sea are best employed by subordinate occupants. In some
system, nobles may tax the income of peasants living on
cases, this might mean importing hirelings. If the
their land but are obliged to see to the peasants’ protection
surrounding region is also rich in the same resources, such
and just rulership, and further obliged to give taxes to the
skilled hirelings are likely to be more available. In feudal
crown and maintain soldiers for the security of the realm.
societies, a large landowner can rely on peasants to render
Landholder parcels can also apply to cases of private
the property’s resources.
ownership, perhaps in a wilderness land conquered by
The presence of natural resources on the land almost
new owners and opened for friendly settlement.
always comes with the right to harvest them. Even a
Landholder parcels take a lot of work and authority to
leaseholder can typically take timber or game from the
hold. They are usually acquired by a grant but can be taken
forest. Particularly when appropriate fixtures are already
by right of conquest or similar gain. Holding these
present on the land, such rights are contemplated as part
properties (or growing a personal property into this size)
of the property’s gain. The king would not grant land
is something best reserved for characters of 11th level or
including a hunting lodge without including the right to
higher. The “Masters of the Realm” tier is when characters
hunt dear in the nearby forest.
are expected to make their mark on the world and receive
Residents. Existing residents generally come in one of
recognition for their great deeds. See page 37 of the
two categories, hostile or friendly.
Dungeon Master’s Guide.
Hostile residents can be roving monsters, unwelcoming
squatters, or the newly-conquered citizens of a rival
kingdom. In most gain scenarios, the new owners are toward defining the character of the land and giving clues
expected to clear out or pacify any hostile residents. But it as to its best uses.
is possible that certain unintelligent monsters could be Ideally, for a personal parcel, a fixture is a generic
safely avoided by the new owners who stay behind their building or the intact foundation of a ruin, upon which the
high walls, the monsters kept around to discourage player characters can impose their own designs for growth
trespassing. Smart landowners find a way to turn hostile and fortification. A fixture like the remains of a saw mill on
residents into friendly ones, or at least ones they can the river could suggest a relatively successful use for the
coexist with. Killing, exiling, or exploiting the local land.
inhabitants are evil acts that create long-term For landholder parcels, existing fixtures often follow the
consequences. Such acts should not be encouraged or military and administrative needs of the sovereign. A
unduly rewarded. fortification is usually central, where the landholder will
Friendly residents include families or whole villages that reside. Bridges might have guard houses for the collection
are obliging and useful to the new owners, helping them of the queen’s tax on travelers. A dam might manage the
move in and serving as sources of security and support. flow of waterways and need protection and maintenance.
These might be intelligent races who can coexist on the While a landholder can ask the sovereign for assistance or
land, like fey that hide in the forests or lizardfolk that can improve these out of her own pockets or profits, they
inhabit the otherwise-unusable swamps. Friendly must not be neglected.
residents can sometimes become hostile, based on the The Dungeon Master should include any fixtures in the
characters’ interactions with them or with the land and its description of the land after contemplating the following
resources. Felling the whole forest or draining the swamp factors. It is entirely possible that a piece of land has
might not be appreciated by those who live there. absolutely no fixtures, allowing the DM to ignore these
In a feudal grant, friendly residents are usually the things initially. Depending on the nature of the grant, the
landholder’s subjects, the people who will work the land characters might be obligated to construct or rebuild some
and provide taxes. These peasants are the source of the fixtures, either from their own resources or using a stipend
landholder’s strength; they are the people that produce from the sovereign.
taxable farming and crafting, and from whom new soldiers The Homestead. Every parcel must, at its outset or after
are trained. The number and prosperity of a feudal parcel’s some construction, have a place to house the characters
peasantry directly correlates to the landholder’s wealth (or from which to run the land’s operations if the
and power. characters live elsewhere). This is the parcel’s defining
Degradations. This refers to any problems with the structure. A tall castle defines the parcel as one ruled by a
land. Are the cliffsides eroding into the sea? Does the noble, a tyrant, or some other military leader. A farmhouse
swamp deepen each year, eating away at the arable land? means the parcel is a farmstead.
Have wildfires burnt away all the forests? Is the harbor too The Dungeon Master should take some care to make any
shallow for significant use? existing homestead building one that can be modified or
In most cases, degradations simply operate to decrease expanded to suit the characters’ tastes. This piece is one of
the value and usefulness of the land and have no other the most personal land features for the party and they
effect. But they can also be opportunities to improve the should be given reign to remodel as desired. It is also the
value of the property. This allows the land to “level up” as building to which various “property components” will
the player characters do. Usually, time or effort may apply. (See the following section for details.)
remove a degradation; the forests may regrow to Rights-Fixtures. To prevent land-use rights from
harvestable levels, the swamp can be drained, the harbor becoming too complex, these features, if already existing,
can be dredged, or the crumbling cliffside can be include the right to their use. Their costs or the required
reinforced with engineering works. royal declarations are assumed to be included in the gain.
Depending on the nature of the gain, these features might
also require use (and maintenance) on behalf of the true
In terms of property, a “fixture” usually refers to a building
landholder.
on the property, but could also include such constructions
A dam on the river means the property owner has the
as a dam, watchtower, bridge, wharf, crop fields, or
right to take some significant measure of water from the
something similar. Pre-existing fixtures go a long way
river, despite the complaints of farmers on the arid land
downstream.
 A bridge, ferry dock, or tollhouse contemplates the right Many of these components have no effect on the
of the landholder to collect taxes from travelers, probably mechanics of the game; they are provided simply to allow
remitting a portion to the sovereign. characters to fill out their parcel if that suits their interests.
Warehouses near the waterfront or an inn within the In many ways, a land parcel is like an additional character
city walls means the landholder has the right to operate that the players share; the more details it has, the more
those respective business; any mandatory guild dues or alive and compelling it will be as a part of the game.
operational taxes are included in the cost of maintenance.
A saw mill on the river carries with it the right to take
timber from nearby land, process it, and sell it. Depending Most components are available as either a room in a
on the grant, a sovereign may demand the right of first structure, or as free-standing structures, often with
purchase for such goods, getting the option to buy the different associated mechanics. A component that can
lumber before it is offered for sale elsewhere. appear as both a room or a structure will list both a Room
A fortified structure like a tower or keep means the Cost and a Structure Cost. Components not available in
landholder has the right (and the duty, if in a feudal both types will list only one of these costs.
setting) to house and equip soldiers. Ancillary buildings, like a stable or coach house, can be
Common Lodging. For landholder parcels, those with built on a personal parcel, but most are suitable only for a
subordinate residents, “common lodging” is the housing landholder parcel. Some properties, particularly city-based
already available. The existence or expansion of housing is land parcels, have no room for expansion, preventing the
critical to maintaining a viable, happy population. party from adding structure-only components.
Simple forms of common lodging might be as little as a The costs given here are for “simple” or “frontier”
tent camp suitable for the early operation of a mine, which versions of components, those built with processed
will eventually become a mining town with permanent lumber, some stone and mortar, and various construction
structures. At the other end of the scale is the vast and techniques that are somewhere between “crude” and
interconnected network of buildings within a century-old “semi-refined.” For a higher quality building, add 50 gp to
city, well developed and thickly occupied. improve foundations, renovate existing edifices, allow
Security Features. Security-oriented fixtures include precise stonework, and build with the smooth lines of
walls that surround a property, watchtowers, fortified expert construction.
military outposts, and similar constructions. They might
also include “negative features” that are not buildings at all This room holds a wealth of extra simple weapons and
but are designed to aid security, like the dredging of a deep light armor. It allows non-garrison hirelings, up to the
border river to create a strategic barrier. number of contained armament sets, to deploy as semi-
Security features typically require some effort to competent soldiers when necessary. For these non-martial
garrison and maintain; they are rarely found on properties hirelings, use the cultist statistics from the Monster
owned by only an individual or a single adventuring party. Manual (minus the Dark Devotion feature).
Room Cost. 50 gp + 10 gp per set
Structure Cost. A freestanding armory is situated to arm
Once the nature of the property is determined, and the a number of non-martial residents living in various
characters decide they want to keep (and invest in) that portions of the parcel. Such a building costs 100 gp + 10
parcel of land, these rules allow the players to modify their additional gp per set of armaments.
home environment to suit their tastes and budget.
Every homestead should come furnished with enough
rooms and accommodations to allow the party, and This small, simple room contains ten bunks, cots, or
perhaps a few additional characters, to live there without hammocks, and space for ten personal trunks or chests.
having to expand or build new features. Armor stands and weapon racks are typical features as
This section is only for characters that want to well. A barracks is typically used to house additional
personalize the homestead (or the surrounding buildings soldiers, but player characters used to “living rough” might
on a landowner parcel), typically gaining specific game- enjoy making use of barracks too.
related benefits. If an existing building does not seem to A barracks adds 10 to the number of soldiers that can
have enough free area to add or modify a room, the comfortably reside in the building. These additional
building can usually be expanded to make space. soldiers are not included in the maintenance cost for the
property, nor does this room increase a structure’s
garrison rating. Cells are made with iron bars, which have 19 Armor Class,
Room Cost. 25 gp 6 hardness, and 27 hit points. They are each made to house
Structure Cost. A “barracks hall” is designed to house a four medium creatures or one large creature. Because they
larger number of soldiers. The cost is 50 gp for the first ten are constructed to resist intentional breakage by their
soldiers, and 25 gp per additional ten soldiers it can house. contained creatures, cell bars and walls are typically
A typical barracks hall will house about a hundred. immune to damage from natural and unarmed attacks.
Additional information on the health of objects can be
found at page 246 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide. The cell’s
A simple building for housing vehicles, suitable for keeping
door comes with a lock, for which a single key is provided.
wagons and coaches out of the elements when not in use. A
Without the key, a creature can pick this lock with a
similar construction adjacent to a waterway can create a
successful DC 15 Dexterity check using thieves’ tools.
shelter to cover small watercraft.
Room Cost. 100 gp per cell
Structure Cost. 15 gp
Structure Cost. A freestanding “jailhouse” can be built
for 100 gp plus another 100 gp per contained cell. This
This building typically takes the form of a feast hall or building has stout doors and thick walls, and other security
drinking establishment. More “refined” versions may features suitable for maintaining prisoners.
include a performance theater, a gallery to display crafts,
or a museum of art.
Happy residents need reliable housing. These
Structure Cost. 80 gp
expenditures represent a set of common buildings suitable
for multiple families, or a collection of cottages. Families
Gardens are typically housed in a courtyard, rooftop, or need more living space than soldiers and cannot be happy
along the perimeter of a building or property. They can be for long if crammed in ear-to-ear somewhere like a simple
used to grow food or other plants. For adventurers, they barracks.
are most often used to grow the exotic herbs that are the Structure Cost. 25 gp per family of five
necessary components of herbalism. A cultivated garden is
useful when arable land is not freely available on the land
This developed area and its attending buildings are suited
parcel.
to the advancement of a single industry, like mining and
A garden is particularly useful if the characters find a
smelting ore, logging and processing lumber, or fishing and
rare plant that the Dungeon Master determines to be the
packing fish. A setup of this type is usually needed to
necessary component for a certain herbal brew. (For
extract natural resources from a parcel. Each such
further inspiration, see the rules for Concoctions in the
construction supports the efforts of up to 50 workers.
Comprehensive Equipment Manual.) Cultivating the plant
Structure Cost. 1,250 gp
allows the characters to harvest periodically and craft the
brew, though they must return home to the garden each
time they do so. The Dungeon Master will dictate the This room is dedicated to the safe and efficient storage of
amount of ingredients available in a garden at any given books. A mere collection of books does not make a library
time. At the Dungeon Master’s discretion, maintaining an in this sense; a library is a coordinated collection designed
herb garden may reduce the cost for ingredients to craft a to cover a range of topics important to adventurers.
variety of herbal brews. A character that researches in the library has advantage
Room Cost. 10 gp on any Intelligence check to discover lore within the range
of the arcana, history, nature, or religion skills. If the
question of lore does not relate to any specific skill, or it
This represents good roads, small bridges, docks, or other
relates to a skill the researcher is not proficient with, the
improvements that allow access throughout the parcel, as
library allows the user to benefit from half her proficiency
well as to and from it. Each instance of good byways
modifier, rounded down. Advantage does not apply if the
supports an area that has up to 50 residents.
DC for the check is higher than 15; higher DCs indicate
Structure Cost. 25 gp
information that is too rare or esoteric to be found in most
reference books.
 A library can be stocked or expanded to encompass often used to hide questionable areas like a necromantic
additional, more-specific topics. Examples of such topics laboratory or a hidden holding cell.
include specific trades or skills, a particular deity or A secret passage requires a door at both ends, though
religion, plants of a curative variety, the history of a single only one of them needs to be secret. If both are secret,
kingdom, or necromantic lore. The covered topic is simply pay the cost for two secret doors. (Passages
typically a small slice of what would otherwise be covered themselves are too incidental to cost anything under this
by the arcana, history, nature, or religion skill. While system.) If the doors at both ends are secret, they need not
researching a question of lore within an expansion topic, be of the same quality. Secret passages are sometimes used
advantage applies to the Intelligence check for a DC as high to create a clandestine entrance to the building, to link
as 20. A book or set of books that constitutes an expansion rooms, or to provide a hidden escape tunnel that exits a
might be found while adventuring or purchased during a stone’s throw away from the building.
trip to a large city. The Dungeon Master should make sure Room Cost. 110 gp
to track any expansion topics added to the library.
A short research attempt, about 10 minutes, tends to
This expensive upgrade adds a surrounding wall,
answer only simple questions, like whether the plant your
watchtowers, warning bells, strategic moats, and other
cattle ate is poisonous or whose noble house that red-and-
security features. This expense is suitable for a parcel
gold pennant belongs to. More complex questions require
containing no more than 25 residents. For every additional
about eight hours (or one day of downtime), as the
50 residents, or part thereof, you must pay this upgrade
researcher references multiple sources and draws
cost again or find that there are significant holes in the
conclusions by cross-referencing. Using a personal library
security.
to research in downtime is simpler than doing so in a city,
To increase the level of security, perhaps replacing the
but the questions of lore that might be answered tend to
wooden palisades with stone walls and building the
be more limited.
watchtowers with extra height, double the cost of each
Up to two characters can use a library to research at the
upgrade.
same time, so long as they are not researching the same
Structure Cost. 200 gp
question of lore.
Room Cost. 250 gp + 50 gp per additional topic
Structure Cost. A “library building” costs an additional A shrine is a small room with ritual trappings and
100 gp at the outset, above what a room version would iconography dedicated to a specific deity, alliance of
require. This is about twice what a normal freestanding deities, or pantheon. It has room for a character to worship
building would cost; preservation of books requires privately. At double the cost, a shrine can be large enough
excellent insulation and environmental control. Up to six for religious services to be held involving a dozen
characters can use a library building to research at the participants.
same time, so long as none of them are researching the Room Cost. 35 gp
same question of lore. Structure Cost. A “temple” costs 150 gp to construct
properly; the interior and exterior must be sufficiently
decorated to honor the deity to whom it is dedicated. The
This construction includes multiple shop buildings or an
true cost of a temple can be far more extravagant.
array of stalls in the case of an open-air market. This much
Depending on the wealth and piety of the builder, a temple
infrastructure supports a populace of up to 200 residents,
might be built and decorated using many thousands of
contributing to their convenience and happiness. A market
gold pieces.
rarely brings in the type of goods or services that player
A temple includes room for about 100 worshipers, plus
characters are interested in purchasing.
several offices for clergy to operate out of and several
Structure Cost. 60 gp
utility rooms.

A room can be concealed behind a secret door with some

This structure is large enough to house a dozen horses,
additional expense. Detecting and opening secret doors is
mules, or similar creatures. Alternately, this building may
something discussed on pages 103-104 of the Dungeon
be constructed for different types of animals, like a
Master’s Guide. The DC for this door is 15. Alternately, the
rookery or a goat run.
DC can be raised to 20 for double the construction price, or
Structure Cost. 30 gp
25 for four times the construction price. Secret doors are
 time, something described in the Comprehensive
Players may wish to construct traps in their residence. Equipment Manual.
This is a bad idea on several levels; intelligent creatures
rarely put traps anywhere they regularly frequent. The
A vault is an armored room about the size of a 10-foot
chance of accidents is just too high. But the particularly
cube. It is surrounded by hardened metal, like steel. Steel
paranoid may throw in a false door with a trap or put extra
walls of this thickness have a 19 Armor Class, 54 hit points
security around a vault.
in each 10-foot surface area, and 12 hardness. Vaults are
Example traps are discussed on pages 120-123 of the
often hidden behind secret doors and locked with multiple
Dungeon Master’s Guide and on pages 113-123 of
locks.
Xanathar’s Guide to Everything.
Room Cost. 550 gp
Room Cost. Because traps are so varied in size and
Structure Cost. A “bank” or “freestanding vault” costs
functionality, the Dungeon Master must determine the cost
850 gp to construct. The storage area is four times the size
for each individually. As a very loose guide, traps that can
of a vault room.
be reset (reused without repairs) cost about 30 gp per die
of damage they inflict. Traps that must be rebuilt or
repaired each time have a per-damage-die cost of 20 gp to A parcel can grow in both size and population, depending
install and 10 gp to repair. Traps that do no damage count on the investments of time and wealth provided by the
as having 1 damage die for cost purposes. Traps that use owners. A personal parcel can eventually become a
poison require doses of the substance to be purchased landholder’s parcel. A landholder’s parcel can grow to
separately. (For expanded poison rules, see the swallow neighboring territory.
Comprehensive Equipment Manual, particularly the rules Most growth occurs organically over time. Residents
for long-lasting Viscids.) have families, outsiders are drawn to the presence of
Magical traps do not follow these guidelines. industry and available work, and the potential residents
feel that their interests are safe in the care of the land’s
owners. Unless the players are actively trying to grow their
This room is designed for crafting in. A workroom is made
land, taking substantial steps in that direction, the
specifically for the type of crafting to be done within; there
Dungeon Master should simply have growth occur at
is one version for each type of artisan’s tools and certain
whatever pace serves the game’s story.
miscellaneous tools. Crafting in a workroom of the
Some forms of growth require additional adjudication,
appropriate type allows a character to work on significant
particularly if the land parcel abuts another claimed
projects that are too large to carry around. Up to three
parcel. This is common in cities, where buildings are built
crafters can use a workroom at the same time.
closely to one another. Sometimes neighboring land must
Room Cost. Alchemy Laboratory (300 gp), Brewery
be purchased. In a feudal system, two barons might have a
(240 gp), Calligraphy Table (220 gp), Carpentry Shop
land war (or feud) to resettle a boundary line or petition
(216 gp), Cartography Studio (230 gp), Cobblery (210 gp),
the sovereign to make such a change official.
Expanded Pantry (202 gp), Glassblowing Chamber
(260 gp), Jeweler’s Vault (250 gp), Leatherworking Shop
(210 gp), Mason’s Yard (220 gp), Painting Atelier (220 gp),
Pottery Hall (220 gp), Smithy (240 gp), Tattoo Parlor Ships share many of the features of other constructions.
(230 gp), Tinkering Laboratory (300 gp), Weaver’s Shop They can easily serve as headquarters for a band of
(204 gp), Woodcarving Shop (202 gp), Forgery Den intrepid adventurers. They can be large or small, in size or
(230 gp), Herbalism Laboratory (210 gp), Poisoner’s in capability. They can be armed with siege weapons and
Retreat (300 gp) garrisoned with soldiers, or they can be simple mercantile
Structure Cost. For a separate building dedicated to a vessels.
craft, a workshop with the same name as the room, Basic ship statistics and costs can be found in the
increase the cost by 200 gp. Up to ten crafters can make Player’s Handbook and the Dungeon Master’s Guide, or in
use of a freestanding workshop at a time. this product’s sister publication, the Comprehensive
At the Dungeon Master’s discretion, a workshop also Equipment Manual.
provides the benefits of masterwork tools for one user at a Advanced rules for ships and naval combat can be found
in Ghosts of Saltmarsh. Many of the mechanisms in this
section depend upon the systems found in that book.
Ships are built, maintained, and operated mostly with the A wide rudder makes a ship nimbler, granting advantage
same materials and methods as one another, just on to some maneuvers.
differing scales. Cost.: 3% of the base ship cost

During a naval engagement, all crew members are A ramp or set of ramps that can be lowered from a ship to
required to operate the ship. Otherwise, the crew can facilitate boarding. A corvus has hooks on its end to secure
deploy as a semi-professional fighting force of sailors (as it fast over the other ship’s rail.
bandits). These can be skilled or unskilled hirelings. A The ramp has its own handrails, so sailors can safely rush
military ship may also be garrisoned by marines (as into a boarding action. No ability checks are required to
guards) equal to its passengers rating. For every full 10 navigate the crossing, as might be required when leaping
marines, replace one with a veteran. As all soldiers, the gap or swinging across on a line.
marines are skilled hirelings. Statistics for these warrior These bulky devices reduce a ship’s cargo capacity by 15
types can be found in the Monster Manual. tons. If there is insufficient cargo capacity, this
modification cannot be added.
Cost. 3% of the base ship cost
Construction time for a ship is 1 day per 150 gp of its
construction cost. Similarly, ship upgrades and
modifications are pegged to percentage values of the For a ship that has multiple decks, weapon ports may be
vessel they effect. A ship’s maintenance cost is 1% of its used to fire siege weapons from the lower decks. These
construction cost. ports are typically visible from afar, unless purposefully
Creation of anything larger than a keelboat must be done concealed.
by a skilled team, not individuals employing the downtime Concealed weapon ports can only be recognized on a
crafting rules. Improvements to a ship (added ship successful Wisdom (Perception) check made within 500
components) must be planned, built, and installed by a feet. A spyglass extends this check range to 1,000 feet,
group of skilled shipwrights. while a compact spyglass (see the Comprehensive
Equipment Manual) extends it to 750 feet.
Cost. 5% of the base ship cost to conceal all ports
Not all ships are created equal. Players looking for a ship
that is faster, tougher, or more agile might consider adding
modifications to their vessels. Consider the following The ship’s hull has a deep keel that steadies it on the open
mundane ship improvements. ocean, but which can inhibit its ability to approach the
shore.
The additional stability of the keel applies advantage to
This translates into more space for a ship’s sailors to sleep the crew’s roll for a storm check or a whirlpool check.
and eat. The ship may support more passengers than its (Officer checks are unaffected.)
base rating, but its cargo capacity is decreased. For the purpose of getting unstuck from sandbars, this
For each ton of cargo capacity removed, add 2 to the vessel treats deep sandbars as moderate and moderate
ship’s passenger rating. sandbars as shallow. At the Dungeon Master’s discretion,
Cost. 5% of base ship cost the ship may not travel into some areas that similar boats
can navigate, due to the depth of the keel.
This improvement must be installed at the time of the
The ship has metal plates over its hull to protect it from
ship’s construction; it cannot be added later. This
attacks of all kinds.
improvement is incompatible with a shallow keel.
Increase the damage threshold of the ship’s hull by 5.
Cost. 15% of base ship cost
For every 10 hp of the vessel, remove any combination of
2 from its passenger rating or 1 from its cargo rating. If
there is insufficient capacity, this modification cannot be Some ships sport fanciful carvings on their bowsprits.
added. Players are encouraged to design their own inspiring
Armor plating slows the ship by 1/2 mph. figureheads using dolphins, mermaids, or creatures of
Cost. 30% of base ship cost myth.
 If the optional loyalty rules are used, a proud figurehead Identifying the ship at a distance based on its profile or
adds 1 to a crew member’s loyalty while aboard (or within appearance is impossible when the configuration is
sight of) the ship. See the NPC loyalty rules in the Dungeon modified.
Master’s Guide. This modification is otherwise cosmetic, A ship with a movable deck reduces its damage threshold
although Ghosts of Saltmarsh describes magical by 5 if it is normally higher.
figureheads in appendix A. A ship not currently in its natural deck formation reduces
A figurehead has an Armor Class of 12, a damage its speed by 1/2 mph.
threshold of 5, and 20 hit point. Cost. 40% of base ship cost
Cost. 3% of the base ship cost

The ship has been intentionally designed with a slender

The bottom of the ship is inset with a metal lattice hull, enabling it to slip through smaller spaces.
supporting an array of windows. These permit the crew to This applies a +2 bonus on all opposed checks made for a
gaze into the water below and around the vessel. The glass chase on almost any scale, be those ability checks for
is thick enough and the individual panes small enough, navigator’s tools or for water vehicles proficiency.
that they don’t affect durability or performance. In a world The ship’s beam (width) is decreased by 20%. Because of
with monstrous and magical perils, these windows help the reduced space, remove any combination of 2 from its
the crew see threats that come from below or identify passenger rating or 1 from its cargo rating for every 10 hp
terrain features immediately under the vessel. The of the vessel. If there is insufficient capacity, this
limitation of these windows is the range of the crew’s modification cannot be applied.
vision into the water, which is often dark. This improvement must be installed at the time of the
For attacks that come from below the surface, the reduce ship’s construction; it cannot be added later.
the damage threshold of the ship’s hull to 5 if it is normally Cost. 15% of base ship cost
higher.
Cost. 25% of base ship cost
The ship bears a standard ram, usually sheathed in bronze
or iron, mounted on its bow, usually at the waterline. With
The ship’s rigging undergoes wholesale changes in this upgrade, double the ship’s DT for determining its
configuration and adds redundant cordage. The sails are ramming damage.
made from tougher canvas and treated with flame- A ram has an Armor Class of 20, a damage threshold of
retarding chemicals. 10, and hit points equal to one-fifth of the hull’s hit points.
Double the hit points of the ship’s sails. Cost. 5% of base ship cost
Cost. 6% of base ship cost

This vessel’s hull has a shallow draft that allows it to travel

The ship undergoes an efficient remodeling of its layout to further upriver, use shallower ports, and otherwise
provide more room for the ship’s stores. navigate submerged hazards better than other ships of its
For every 2 persons that are removed from passenger type.
capacity, add 1 ton to the cargo rating. For the purpose of getting unstuck from sandbars, this
Cost. 5% of base ship cost vessel treats shallow sandbars as moderate and moderate
sandbars as deep. It cannot get stuck on deep sandbars. At
the Dungeon Master’s discretion, the ship may travel into
This ship’s decks are designed to be moved to disguise the
some areas that similar boats can navigate, due to the
ship as an altogether-different vessel. After pulling up
reduced depth of the keel.
dozens of bracing pins, the crew can slide the stern castle
The instability of this keel makes it less stable, even
forward on hidden rails, rearrange the position of the
dangerous, on the open sea. Apply disadvantage to the
masts, extend the gunwales, lower the poop deck, transfer
crew’s rolls for a storm check or a whirlpool check. (Officer
the ship’s wheel, and make other cosmetic changes such as
checks are unaffected.)
a new figurehead and different-colored sails. The process
Because of the reduced space, remove any combination
takes about one hour.
of 2 from its passenger rating or 1 from its cargo rating for
every 10 hp of the vessel. If there is insufficient capacity,
this modification cannot be applied.
This improvement must be installed at the time of the
VARIANT: CREW ACTIONS
ship’s construction; it cannot be added later. This Each siege engine requires a number of workers to fire
improvement is incompatible with a deep keel. and reload it, noted in its crew entry. When an engine
Cost. 10% of base ship cost says it requires an action to do something, it requires
the actions of all crew operators.
Under this rule, an engine can be operated with
For protection during naval maneuvers, this ship has a fewer crew members, but the total number of actions
raised “bumper” rail running the length of its keel and contributed to each activity must equal or exceed the
around the front and sides of the hull just above the product of the required number of crew members,
waterline. This protects the ship when it strikes an multiplied by the required number of rounds (loading,
obstacle like an iceberg, or when it is rammed by another aiming, and firing).
vessel. This rate of firing also assumes that the operators
Skirting has a damage threshold of 10 and hit points are siege engineers (trained hirelings devoted to this
equal to one-fifth of the hull’s hit points. When the hull skill). If any of the engine’s crew are not skilled in siege
would be damaged by a crash or a ramming action, apply craft, these crew members contribute only half an
the damage first to the skirting. When the skirting is action to the required totals each round.
destroyed, excess damage is applied to the hull if it exceeds A siege weapon can be prepared for instantaneous
the hull’s damage threshold. use by accruing the actions of all three phases (the
Cost. 20% of base ship cost number of rounds for loading, aiming, and firing). It
can thereafter be fired by a lone crew member, skilled
or unskilled, using that individual’s single action.
The ship is modified so that gaps in its construction can
serve as hidden cargo areas. This does not change a ship’s
cargo capacity.
A smuggling compartment can hold anything that fits
Each siege engine’s description includes its size, Armor
within a 5-foot cubic space. A difficulty 20 Wisdom
Class, and hit points, as well as an outline of its functions
(Perception) check is required to locate smuggling
and attack capabilities.
compartments in a search of the ship.
Every siege engine is immune to poison and psychic
Cost. 2% of base ship cost
damage.

The ship’s body has had additional supports and layers of

Large object
wood added to it, making it thicker and more resilient.
The hit points of the ship’s hull are increased by 10%, but Armor Class: 15
the ship’s speed is reduced by 1/2 mph. Hit Points: 50
Cost. 10% of base ship cost Crew: 4
Cost: 1,000 gp

A ballista is a massive crossbow that fires heavy bolts.

These massive engines of war are designed to protect or Before it can be fired, it must be loaded and aimed. It
assail heavy targets, fortifications or large groups of enemy requires one action to load the weapon, one action to aim
soldiers. They are included in this chapter to help arm and it, and one action to fire it.
fortify ships and structures. Bolt. Ranged Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, range 120/480 ft.,
Siege engines are moved under the power of groups of one target. Hit: 16 (3d10) piercing damage.
soldiers or minders, or they are pulled by teams of animals
or domesticated monsters. As part of the variant rule
below, each siege engine is also noted with a crew Huge object
requirement to operate it. Armor Class: 15
Hit Points: 100
Crew: 6
Cost: 1,750 gp
 infantry. Before the onager can be fired, it must be loaded
A larger, slower version of the ballista that fires an even
and aimed. It takes two actions to load the weapon, one
more massive crossbow bolt. Before it can be fired, it must
action to aim it, and one action to fire it.
be loaded and aimed. It requires two actions to load the
An onager is small enough to be carried on the back of a
weapon, two actions to aim it, and one action to fire it.
wagon.
Heavy Bolt. Ranged Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, range
An onager typically hurls a heavy stone, although it can
150/600 ft., one target. Hit: 22 (4d10) piercing damage.
hurl other kinds of projectiles, with different effects.
Onager Stone. Ranged Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, range
Large object 120/480 ft., one target. Hit: 16 (3d10) bludgeoning
damage.
Armor Class: 15
Hit Points: 75
Crew: 3 Huge object
Cost: 500 gp Armor Class: 15
A catapult hurls a heavy projectile in a fast, forward arc. Hit Points: 150
Before the catapult can be fired, it must be loaded and Crew: 5
aimed. It takes two actions to load the weapon, two actions Cost: 2,500 gp
to aim it, and one action to fire it. A trebuchet is a powerful catapult that uses a complex
A catapult typically hurls a heavy stone, although it can mechanism to throw its payload in a high arc, allowing it to
hurl other kinds of projectiles, with different effects. hit targets behind cover. Before the trebuchet can be fired,
Catapult Stone. Ranged Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, range it must be loaded and aimed. It takes two actions to load
175/750 ft., one target. Hit: 27 (5d10) bludgeoning the weapon, two actions to aim it, and one action to fire it.
damage. A trebuchet typically hurls a heavy stone. However, it
can launch other kinds of projectiles, such as barrels of oil
Large object or sewage, with different effects.
Trebuchet Stone. Ranged Weapon Attack: +5 to hit,
Armor Class: 15
range 300/1,200 ft. (can’t hit targets within 60 feet of it),
Hit Points: 100
one target. Hit: 44 (8d10) bludgeoning damage.
Crew: 3
Cost: 1,125 gp
Large object
A mangonel is a type of catapult that hurls heavy
projectiles in a high arc. This payload can hit targets Armor Class: 19
behind cover. Before the mangonel can be fired, it must be Hit Points: 20
loaded and aimed. It takes two actions to load the weapon, Crew: 2
two actions to aim it, and one action to fire it. Cost: 50 gp
A mangonel typically hurls a heavy stone, although it can
A cauldron is an iron pot that is suspended so that it can be
hurl other kinds of projectiles, with different effects.
tipped easily, spilling its contents. Once emptied, a
Mangonel Stone. Ranged Weapon Attack: +5 to hit,
cauldron must be refilled—and its contents must usually
range 200/800 ft. (can’t hit targets within 60 feet of it),
be reheated—before it can be used again. It takes three
one target. Hit: 27 (5d10) bludgeoning damage.
actions to fill a cauldron and one action to tip it.
Cauldrons can be filled with other liquids, such as acid or
Large object green slime, with different effects.
Boiling Oil. The cauldron pours boiling oil onto a 10-foot
Armor Class: 15
square area directly below it. Any creature in the area
Hit Points: 50
must make a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw, taking 10
Crew: 2
(3d6) fire damage on a failed save, or half as much damage
Cost: 200 gp
on a successful one.
An onager is a smaller, short-armed catapult that hurls a
heavy projectile in a fast, forward arc at the level of
 A ram is an iron-shod log with handles, used to batter
Large object through doors and barricades. The operators of a ram lack
the fortifying gallery of a covered siege ram and are fully
Armor Class: 15
exposed when they approach and attack.
Hit Points: 50
Ram. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one
Crew: 5
object. Hit: 16 (3d10) bludgeoning damage.
Cost: 4,500 gp

This bulky mechanical contraption hurls casks of

Large object
alchemist’s fire that shatter on impact, lighting the target
on fire. Armor Class: 15
Cask of Alchemist’s Fire. Ranged Weapon Attack: +4 to Hit Points: 100
hit, range 60/240 ft., one target. Hit: 3 (1d6) bludgeoning Crew: 4
damage plus 17 (5d6) fire damage, and the target catches Cost: 750 gp
fire. While on fire, the target takes 3 (1d6) fire damage at
A covered ram consists of a movable gallery equipped with
the start of each of its turns. A burning creature can end
a heavy log suspended from two roof beams by chains. The
this burning state by immersing itself in water or by using
log is shod in iron and used to batter through doors and
an action to make a DC 10 Dexterity check to extinguish
barricades.
itself. Each cask of alchemist’s fire costs 200 gp.
It takes fewer creatures to operate a covered ram
because the operators have a supporting gallery to
Gargantuan object suspend the weight from. Because of the gallery roof, ram
operators have total cover against attacks from above.
Armor Class: 15
Hit Points: 200 Covered Ram. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5
Crew: 8 ft., one object. Hit: 16 (3d10) bludgeoning damage.
Cost: 2,750 gp
Gargantuan object
This weapon operates from a fixed point, it’s long, crane-
like arm extending up to a hundred feet to end in several Armor Class: 15
chain flails or a chain with a large claw. The weapon is Hit Points: 200
generally mounted on a curtain wall. It is used to overturn Crew: Varies
covered rams, misalign approaching siege towers, or rake Cost: 2,000 gp
away the sails and rigging of ships on adjacent rivers. It
A siege tower is a mobile wooden structure with a beam
can also be swept through the enemy ranks to disrupt
frame and slats in its walls. Medium or smaller creatures
approaching formations.
can use the siege tower to reach the top of walls up to 40
A great claw that inflicts cumulative damage on a siege
feet high. A creature in the tower has total cover from
tower or covered ram equal to half its total hit points pulls
attacks outside the tower.
the engine apart or tips it over, making it useless. The
Large wooden wheels or rollers allow the tower to be
same damage to a ship destroys enough sail and rigging to
pushed or pulled by soldiers or beasts of burden. A total
halve the vessel’s wind-powered speed, but the great
combined Strength rating of 100 or more is required to
claw’s damage to sails and rigging can be repaired at half
move the tower while empty. Triple that number if the
the normal cost.
tower is full of soldiers as it advances.
Claw Arm. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 100 ft.,
one object. Hit: 16 (3d10) bludgeoning.
Gargantuan object

Large object Armor Class: 15

Hit Points: 350
Armor Class: 15
Crew: Varies
Hit Points: 20
Cost: 3,500 gp
Crew: 8
Cost: 100 gp A massive siege tower is a larger wooden structure with a
beam frame and slats in its walls. Medium or smaller
creatures can use the siege tower to reach the top of walls This distinction is mostly traditional since the weapons
up to 65 feet high. A creature in the tower has total cover from either type, with some mounting modifications, can
from attacks outside the tower. be used in either capacity. Any siege gun can be purchased
The massive siege tower is too large for wheels and can as a field gun or a ship’s gun. Changing the mounting later
only be propelled on rollers. The monstrosity is pushed or requires carpentry work valued at 1% of the weapon’s
pulled by a great many soldiers or beasts of burden. A total standard cost.
combined Strength rating of 200 or more is required to
move the massive tower while empty. Triple that number
Siege guns have a major advantage over other siege
if the massive tower is full of soldiers as it advances.
weapons when they are aligned en masse. Their shape is
narrower, allowing more of these weapons to be lined up
Large object for a ship’s broadside or to volley from atop a castle’s
Armor Class: 15 ramparts.
Hit Points: 30 When using a battle map marked by a grid, a siege gun
Crew: 4 does not have a square space. Instead, it has a width that is
Cost: 3,500 gp 5 feet narrower than its normal dimensions. For example,
a Large gun occupies a 10-by-5-foot space, while a Huge
This device is designed to pump oil in a high-velocity gun occupies a 15-by-10-foot space.
stream at an enemy. The oil is lit as it leaves the siphon,
creating a flaming stream that can ignite flammable
objects. Unless using the Slow Loading variant rule, a siege gun
Flaming Oil. The siphon projects flaming oil onto a 10- requires one action to load, one action to aim, and one
foot square area at a point within 60 feet of it. Any creature action to fire, just as with many siege weapons.
in the area must make a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw, The ammunition required to fire a siege gun costs 5 sp
taking 10 (3d6) fire damage on a failed save, or half as per pound of the shot’s weight, which includes the cost of
much damage on a successful one. Wooden structures and gunpowder.
vessels in the area are likely to catch on fire. Each shot of
oil consumes about 80 pints, a quantity that costs 8 gp.
VARIANT: SLOW FIRING
Using this variant, firing times depend on gun teams
This section separates siege guns from other siege engines.
working in unison to operate their weapons. This is
Siege guns are not normally available unless the Dungeon
particularly suited to ponderous siege warfare or ship
Master includes gunpowder (or some magical equivalent)
battles in the age of sail, when minutes would pass
to the game. (Siege guns are normally available when the
between each cannon shot.
DM has allowed one of the Firearms “limited lists” from the
With this rule, before a siege gun can be fired, it must
Comprehensive Equipment Manual.)
first be run back, swabbed clean, loaded with powder
Like all siege equipment, siege guns are immune to
and shot, packed, run out, and aimed. Siege guns
poison and psychic damage.
therefore require 250 rounds of labor to prepare and
fire. The work can be split among as many as 5
Siege guns are divided into two types based on their gunners, allowing the gun to fire at a rate of once every
mounting. 5 minutes (every 50 rounds).
Field guns typically move with an army. Large field guns This rate contemplates unseasoned crew members
are mounted on mobile platforms that include two large performing the operation. Professional, trained gun
wheels and a tail-like support leg. Huge versions require a crews (skilled hirelings) each provide double the labor
wagon. Each field gun is typically towed by a team of two output. This means a siege gun fully crewed by trained
or four horses. gunners will fire, at fastest, once every 2½ minutes (25
Ship’s guns are less mobile, mounted on a ship or a rounds).
fortification. Their mountings are squat, heavy frames, A siege gun previously prepared can be fired by a
typically equipped with small, sturdy carriage wheels lone gunner using a single action.
suitable for absorbing recoil.
Large object, ship’s gun Large object, field gun
Armor Class: 19 Armor Class: 19
Hit Points: 75 Hit Points: 60
Crew: 5 Crew: 5
Cost: 6,500 gp Cost: 2,000 gp

This massive gun is designed to fire a murderous weight of The most common field piece, this mid-level weapon fires
shot over a short distance. At its longest range, the barrel a reliable load using a relatively low quantity of
requires a significant upward tilt and the shot flies in a gunpowder.
pronounced arc. 12 lb. Cannonball. Ranged Weapon Attack: +6 to hit,
A carronade can use indirect fire at targets within its range 350/1,400 ft., one target. Hit: 27 (5d10) bludgeoning
long range increment, shooting over intervening obstacles damage.
like other ships. Indirect fire prevents the use of many
types of cover.
Large object, field gun
32 lb. Cannonball. Ranged Weapon Attack: +5 to hit,
range 300/1,200 ft., one target. Hit: 55 (10d10) Armor Class: 19
bludgeoning damage. Hit Points: 50
Crew: 5
Cost: 3,000 gp
Large object, ship’s gun
Larger than a demi-cannon, this field gun throws a much
Armor Class: 19
heavier ball.
Hit Points: 75
18 lb. Cannonball. Ranged Weapon Attack: +6 to hit,
Crew: 5
range 500/2,000 ft., one target. Hit: 38 (7d10) bludgeoning
Cost: 3,500 gp
damage.
This heavy weapon is typical of cannon craftsmanship.
24 lb. Cannonball. Ranged Weapon Attack: +6 to hit,
Large object, ship’s gun
range 600/2,400 ft., one target. Hit: 44 (8d10) bludgeoning
damage. Armor Class: 19
Hit Points: 50
Crew: 5
Small object, ship’s gun Cost: 3,000 gp
Armor Class: 15
This gun is longer and fires a lighter load than weapons of
Hit Points: 15
similar weight. The additional range makes long nines
Crew: 1
well-suited for chase work, mounted at the fore or aft of a
Cost: 600 gp
ship.
This small ship’s gun has no mounting frame. It is attached 9 lb. Cannonball. Ranged Weapon Attack: +7 to hit,
to a swiveling pintle that rests in any number of prepared range 750/3,00 ft., one target. Hit: 22 (4d10) bludgeoning
positions along the gunwales or on platforms among the damage.
masts. A single strong crew member can lift the weapon
out of its position and carry it to a new one.
Huge object, field gun
If using the variant Slow Firing rule, a culverin requires
only 50 crew actions to load and fire, but its small size and Armor Class: 19
fixed position make it impossible for more than a single Hit Points: 125
crew member to operate thusly. Crew: 5
4 lb. Cannonball. Ranged Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, Cost: 6,000 gp
range 50/200 ft., one target. Hit: 11 (2d10) bludgeoning
Unlike other field guns, a mortar rides a heavy support
damage.
frame, much like a ship’s gun. Tiny carriage wheels allow
the weapon to be oriented. A mortar is typically
transported via wagon.
A mortar can use indirect fire, shooting over obstacles
like hills and castle walls. Indirect fire prevents the use of
many types of cover.
42 lb. Cannonball. Ranged Weapon Attack: +5 to hit,
range 800/3,200 ft., one target. Hit: 66 (12d10)
bludgeoning damage.

Medium object, field gun

Armor Class: 17
Hit Points: 25
Crew: 5
Cost: 1,250 gp

A single horse can pull this lightweight weapon. The

ordinance rifle is highly accurate, with exceptional range,
though less powerful than other field guns.
6 lb. Cannonball. Ranged Weapon Attack: +7 to hit,
range 75/300 ft., one target. Hit: 16 (3d10) bludgeoning
damage.
 HIS CHAPTER COVERS THE SYSTEM BY WHICH PLAYERS while it is on campaign. Such a landowner needs only find
gain control over large military forces. It food for her army, which might be managed by the
includes several aspects of recruitment, the hirelings included with the property. A fortification can,
methods and costs to hire and maintain with cramped conditions, house an army equal to 20 times
soldiers, rules for leading armies, and a it’s Garrison Strength rating. If an army encamps around a
lightweight game system to determine outcomes when fortification, instead of just dwelling within it, the
pitting military forces against one another. infrastructure can support 100 times its Garrison Strength
rating for a period of about a month.
The Building and Maintenance Costs table in the
Although the maintenance costs of a property include the Investment chapter has a Garrison Strength column
financing of a number of soldiers, these troops alone are indicating how many of the people employed under the
not sufficiently numerous to be considered armies. Skilled Hirelings column might be soldiers. (These soldiers
Maintaining true military forces, not mere garrisons, are not additional to the skilled hirelings housed.)
represents the pinnacle of outlays; only truly-wealthy and
successful adventurers will be able to convert their
By finding the right recruits, like the members of fierce
treasure into standing armies.
warrior cultures or the veterans of a recently-ended war,
For the purpose of this chapter, an army has at least a
the would-be war leader’s soldiers will already own a fair
hundred members; these rules do not pertain to smaller
bit of armaments. Such soldiers require only half the
groups of warriors, the personal following of a competent
normal cost to equip. In rare cases, some soldiers come
warrior like Robin Hood’s band of Merry Men, nor do these
fully-equipped.
rules address followers and important lieutenants as non-
Costs can also be reduced by hiring less-skilled soldiers,
player characters.
a peasant army or a force of raw recruits. This halves the
maintenance costs for the army (or that portion of it), but
To acquire an army, characters with sufficient wealth can using untrained hirelings has obvious drawbacks when it
simply hire soldiers (long-term skilled hirelings), purchase comes to fighting.
equipment for each, and pay their food and lodging. A tiny
army of 1,000 soldiers would require an initial outlay of Soldiers are typically paid only periodically. Sometimes
60,000 gp to equip. This initial cost is staggering. On top of they are paid a signing amount up front and the remainder
this, expect to pay an additional 2,000 gp each day to at the end of the campaign or various periods within the
maintain that size of a fighting force. campaign. An army that captures a wealthy objective
Of course, this assumes a ready source of soldiers in the might suddenly have more money to pay the troops. And if
area to recruit. And this just contemplates infantry; it the army is active, the soldiers that die represent outlays
doesn’t include the weapons, armor, and horses of more that do not have to be paid. (In some societies, fallen
specialized soldiers, nor the siege equipment, soldiers’ wages are paid anyway, going to the families or
transportation methods, or supply train needed to
designated heirs.)
maximize the army’s usefulness.
Building and supporting an army on nothing but gold is
an impractical proposition. Successful armies usually take Some armies are founded on the notion of pure plunder.
advantage of various factors to defray these costs. Such soldiers receive no pay (see cultural acquisition,
below). They expect to loot the wealth of their enemies if
successful in battle. In this way, the army leaders pay little
By providing food and lodging, the daily cost of skilled
or nothing to maintain the soldiers, but the soldiers might
hirelings is cut in half. Economies of scale allow that
get greater rewards anyway.
billeting and provisioning an army are cheaper than
This generally prevents the army from any policies that
paying them to find their own food and lodging, but this
prohibit pillaging or mistreating civilians, which will very
requires a place to put the army.
much color the reputation of the army and those involved
Lodging is relatively simple if the recruiter owns a
with it.
sufficiently-large fortification. So long as the army has a
base of operations to return to, lodging is not a concern
 cost to employ, equip, or maintain these soldiers; that duty
Culture-based acquisitions occur when members of the falls to the nobles to whom they belong. For example, in
army are not motivated by pay. Sometimes this is the addition to her own warriors, a countess going to war may
result of social pressures, cultural expectations, laws of call upon the militaries maintained by each of the barons
conscription, slavery, or other methods. Whatever the within her county. In the same way, the duke may call
case, the cost to maintain these soldiers is halved. If the upon the countess’ armies, along with those of the other
army’s leaders provide the food and lodging, there is no counts in the duchy, as well as all their barons’ armies.
payroll expense for such soldiers. In any culture-based
acquisition, the Dungeon Master must determine ad hoc
The previous costs only contemplate the investment of
the number of soldiers that can be acquired. It is difficult to
simple soldiers. More specialized warriors require
mix culturally-acquired soldiers with soldiers of regular
significant additional funds to equip initially.
pay; altruism is fine until someone else starts getting paid
Infantry and archers both cost the same to equip, about
for the work you are doing free.
60 gp each. Infantry have cheaper weapons than archers
Conscription is the tool of civilized societies. When
but make up for it with heavier armor and shields.
threatened, civilians are legally pressed into the army for a
Elite soldiers cost about 250 gp each to equip. These
set term of service or the length of a war. Such civilians
typically wear more-protective chainmail or splint armor.
count as unskilled hirelings. They almost never have their
They use professional weaponry like polearms and often
own equipment, but some might bring farm implements or
have more than one back-up weapon.
the leftover weapons from their grandparents’ time at war.
True knights cost 2,000 gp each to equip. They wear
In war-like or raiding societies, healthy adults are
plate armor, carry shields, and ride powerful warhorses. A
expected to fight to maintain the society’s way of life. To
squire or servant accompanies each, usually with an
organize an army, the leader must have a certain
additional cost. Despite the heavy investment cost, knights
reputation and a specific goal. Tribes of martial barbarians
typically fight for causes, not gold, so they can be
or goblin-kin might rally to the banner of a strong leader,
maintained simply by paying room and board.
seeking to take territory from rivals or plunder a nearby
Another consideration for a would-be war leader is the
city. These soldiers typically come with their own
cost of engines. Catapults, siege towers, wagons for the
equipment; maintaining gear for war is an expected part of
supply trains, professional logisticians to chart and track
adulthood in warrior societies.
army movement and supplies, and other costs may also
Slavery is another approach that armies use to get cheap
apply. Refer to the earlier sections in this product for the
troops. Unless a society raises its warrior slaves from a
costs of siege engines, ships, wagons, and other vehicles.
young age using exceptional techniques for their control
and conditioning, the slave portion of an army is little
better than fodder. Slaves must be provided with gear In many circumstances, characters cannot freely raise
suitable for the campaign, although they usually have the armies. Local leaders get nervous about growing military
cheapest weapons and armor, denoting their station. forces that are not under their own control.
Resorting to slave armies creates an historic stain upon The exact point at which a military force becomes too
any lasting gains its leaders accomplish. Civilized societies large to tolerate is determined by the Dungeon Master. Of
consider these efforts unchivalrous and illegitimate. course, what the leader is doing with her army also plays
Reputation also serves a role in gaining soldiers. into how tolerant a ruler will be toward it.
Characters with martial capabilities, and who have In addition to local rulers, the nature of the army plays
accomplished heroic deeds (those around 11th level), some role in how large it may grow before other forces
often acquire the service of itinerant soldiers. These seek to interfere. A character raising a force of orcs and
warriors recognize the cunning or accomplishments of goblins near to civilized lands may find that their presence
like-minded persons and seek to be a part of their alone is enough for neighboring armies to march against it,
enterprises. Such soldiers fight for honor. They do not or adventurers to come and assassinate the leader or
require pay nor stipends for equipment, but their leaders otherwise thwart the army’s assumed intentions.
must have ways to feed and house them. Even when militaries are generally approved of, there
Characters in feudal systems with high noble titles can, if are often set limitations. If two barons have frequent feuds,
they have subordinate nobles underneath them, call upon the countess is not likely to allow one of them to begin
the soldiers their subordinate nobles maintain. There is no recruiting a massive army, fearing instability in the county.
 An army with a loyalty score rated higher than 10 will fight
The Dungeon Master’s Guide presents an optional loyalty
to the death for its leader, fighting through terrible odds to
mechanic on page 93. This is intended for individual
achieve the leader’s goals.
nonplayer characters, but with some adaptation, it works
An army whose score is within the range of 1-10 is only
as well for a whole army, sub-groups within an army, or
tenuously loyal and might be willing to leave service and
the officers that control portions of an army. Army loyalty
enter another leader’s army (though typically not a rival’s
can be roleplayed, or it can be controlled by this rule.
army) or might resist undertaking extreme activities.
Using this system, troops that are poorly-paid, are ill-
If the army’s score drops to 0, it is no longer loyal and
equipped, or are made to suffer terrible conditions and
will soon abandon the leader. Its members might even take
humiliating losses, are more likely to abandon their
service in a rival or hostile leader’s forces. If the army was
service. Troops that are treated well and paid well are
treated badly enough, it might actively sabotage the
more likely to fight to the death for their cause.
leader’s efforts, leaving service as the enemy’s army is
forming up to charge.
The loyalty score of an army (or any sub-division of an
army, if the Dungeon Master wishes to distinguish them) is
measured on a scale from 0 to 20. Scores can never exceed This section presents a method for resolving the clash of
this range. The maximum effective score is equal to the armies. The Dungeon Master should check the following
Charisma score of the leader and its starting loyalty score factors to determine the outcomes. These results are best
is half the leader’s Charisma score. If leadership of the decided at the outset, during pre-game preparation, so that
army changes hands, adjust the loyalty score accordingly. the story does not pause while the DM figures things out.
The Dungeon Master may wish to track loyalty The war should be a backdrop for your campaign while the
separately for divisions within the army. This is useful in game’s focus remains on the player characters.
multinational forces or when groups of unified soldiers The important things to decide in a battle are: (1) who
hail from different societies. In this case, the divisions will wins, (2) which troops are lost by each side, (3) what
instead have a loyalty score applicable to their officers. impact the clash has on the story, and (4) what roles the
This can create scenarios where a harsh and overbearing players get to play in the conflict. The storied scene where
officer tries to follow the army leader’s orders but the a single hero turns the tide of a battle simply lacks
soldiers in that sub-division revolt. credibility and it can rob the conflict of the important
sense of scale that clashing armies should bring.
This is not to say that player characters should play no
The Dungeon Master should track army loyalty secretly so leadership role in a battle, or that they cannot have heroic
that players won’t be fully conscious of exact numbers. encounters within the space of clashing armies, just that
However, an army’s morale is usually notable to astute these scenes should not be relied upon to determine the
officers, meaning the leader might have some general outcomes of battles between armies. When warring
notion of the loyalty rating, perhaps within a few points. kingdoms take to the field, the entire fabric of the
Increase an army’s loyalty score by 1d4 points each time campaign shifts in ways that should be controlled by the
the leader successfully achieves results favorable to the Dungeon Master, not by the presence of a few individuals
army. This typically means each success in battle, whether or the caprice of a few die rolls.
to gain plunder or to defend the homeland. But do not
apply this bonus if the army’s battle casualties were
greater than 30%. In any clash of armies, the certain winner will usually be
Decrease an army’s loyalty score by 1d4 points each obvious. Two forces meet, one with vastly superior
time the leader fails to meet the army’s expectations. This numbers and position. The lesser of these two forces will
means each month of failure to pay wages after the point lose, leaving only the question of how badly.
when they are owed, failures in battle, or forcing the army Officially deciding the winner is the first thing for the
into poor conditions like a grueling desert march or Dungeon Master to do. This is the opposite approach of
camping in rotting swampland. Decrease the loyalty score most mass-combat systems, those that want you to decide
by 2d4 if the army has reason to suspect that their winners only following a long series of awkward rolls.
hardships are the result of the leader’s selfish desires for While rolling for winners makes for a touch more drama, it
personal gain.
more often produces improbable results and takes the
focus away from the players. WARGAMING SYSTEMS
When determining the winner, the DM should consider Despite its roots in wargaming, mass-combat systems
the numbers on both sides, their training, equipment, don’t play well to a D&D audience. The game’s history
quality of tactics, leadership, morale, presence of disease in is littered with the corpses of failed or little-used army
the camp, use of special warfare equipment, access to subgames, both official and third-party in nature.
combat magic and healing magic, and any other factor that TSR’s official version, the Battlesystem game
may play a role in the outcome. Look for unique (republished for the second edition of D&D), used
interactions where one side is heavily favored, such as modifications of normal character-scale rules to dice
archers showering a slowly-approaching army without out the clash of armies. It used figurines and
response; particularly in heroic literature, these can defy battlefields as an introduction to true wargaming.
the simple calculus of equal attrition. These moments Battlesystem was a full, standalone game that
make a great impression when described to the players. received great reviews by its owners and creators, but
suffered a mixed reception from the public. The game
never really caught on as a game to play on its own or
A clash of armies is typically a whole battle, from start to
as a system to use in combination with DUNGEONS &
finish. It takes place within a single day. If a battle proves
DRAGONS. It has been discontinued for several decades.
indecisive, an additional clash may take place on the Later mass-combat rules have tried to be lighter,
following day or the next, with additional clashes
simpler, and more abstract. They moved away from
continuing until the outcome is certain. The Dungeon full-scale miniatures and wargaming, seeking only to
Master can decide that a battle of multiple clashes has address clashes of armies as a “side-game” or “mini-
different winners on different days. This can supply
game” within a DUNGEONS & DRAGONS campaign.
additional nuance to determined outcomes.
These wargame-like offerings take a somewhat
The winning side of the conflict obtains its nominal
standardized form. They have units of various sizes
goals. It forces the enemy to retreat, takes control of the with a handful of ratings dissimilar from normal game
contested village, or isolates the other army from its statistics. Dungeon Masters control their clashes with
reinforcements. Usually a parlay and peace are worked out new roll types, incorporating various modifiers for
following the clash, depending on the larger context of the terrain, tactics, and other factors. To keep things
battle. Whatever the circumstances, the Dungeon Master interesting, these systems invariably incorporate (1)
should decide the nature of the victory including any shift random outcomes based on die rolling, and (2) altered
in army composition, territorial positioning, or political outcomes based on player character activities. The
upheaval that results. drawbacks of these systems are twofold.
First, these additional rules are tedious and will
Each clash produces casualty numbers, as described swallow a whole game session (or more). Only the
below. The Dungeon Master can impose these calculations Dungeon Master will bother to learn any of those rules
or just decide losses based on what makes the most sense. to the degree needed to make optimal use of them, and
rare will be the player interested in watching the DM
play a sub-game with herself.
Both sides suffer casualties in war. These losses are based Second, as the size of clashing forces increases
on two calculations. toward the scale of true armies, the idea of player
First, the losing side suffers 20% casualties. From a characters having a significant effect on the outcome
historical perspective on medieval warfare, this is a becomes increasingly unbelievable.
staggering percentage. Second, the winning side suffers
half of the loser’s number of casualties, to a maximum of
decisively against it as to require a surrender or retreat.
half its own army size.
The larger force would have lost only 10 casualties.
For example, two armies clash, one with 100 soldiers
If an army has multiple troop types the Dungeon Master
and one with 250 soldiers. If the larger force loses, it
may apply loss percentages unevenly based on tactics,
suffers 50 casualties (20% of its fighters). The winning
positioning, or special abilities; perhaps the veterans used
force suffers half that number (25 casualties).
the recruits as fodder to protect their positions, shifting
Had the smaller force lost, it would have suffered only 20
many of the veterans’ expected losses onto the recruits.
casualties (20% of its fighters) before things turned so
 Dungeon Master’s whim, reflecting the nature of those
Sieges are more drawn out than normal army clashes. In a attacks. If both sides possess such means, a single clash can
siege, the defenders are greatly advantaged by their be devastating to both armies.
fortifications. Rarely will besiegers clash, preferring to
wait out their enemies. Sieges typically resolve when the
Half of casualty numbers are “final” casualties,
defenders surrender because of starvation or when allied
representing deaths in the army or injuries that prevent
reinforcements scare off the besieging force.
those soldiers from returning to battle. The remainder are
In a siege assault against fortified walls, the besiegers
“simple” casualties. Simple casualties will recover and be
will lose each day’s clash until the Dungeon Master
able to fight again in about seven days.
determines that a significant event removes the
At the Dungeon Master’s discretion, the armor or other
effectiveness of the fortifications. This might be the failure
protections used by an army will modify its casualty
of a wall after weeks of trebuchet attacks, sapping, or
numbers. Those with “inferior armor” (AC 12 or lower)
magical weakening. It could be a band of traitors within
double their applied casualty percentages. Those with
the fortification opening the gates to the attackers. Or it
“good armor” (AC 16 through 19) halve their applied
could simply be that the number of defenders drops to a
casualty percentages. Those with “superior armor” (AC 20
level below what is necessary to prevent besiegers from
or higher) halve the applied casualty percentages and
climbing over the walls.
convert half the final casualties into simple casualties.
In losing a clash, the force assaulting the walls suffers
Magical Recovery. An army with significant magical
30% casualties, to a maximum of 1 fighter per active
healing resources can convert half of its daily simple
defender. (Most civilians within a fortification are not
casualties back into viable soldiers, ready to fight in the
counted as part of the army.) The defenders will suffer 1%
next day’s clash.
casualties, to a minimum of 1 per 50 attackers. For
In unusual circumstances, powerful magic or deific
fortifications weaker than a full castle with curtain walls,
intervention can bring the dead back to life or, more
or with run-down defenses, the Dungeon Master can adjust
disturbingly, raise them as undead to fight the next day.
the defenders’ casualties to as high as 5%.
For example, a besieging force of 3,000 assaults the walls
of a well-fortified stronghold defended by only 300. The While player characters essentially never turn the tide of
assaulters suffer 300 casualties that day. They could have large battles while within them, there are certain activities
lost up to 900 (30%), but their losses were reduced to not they can do ahead of time to tip the scales.
exceed the size of the defending force.
The defenders lose 6 casualties. Normally the loss would
have only been 3 (1%), but the minimum loss is one- In a close scenario, any one (or multiple) of the following
fiftieth of the attacking number. Had the Dungeon Master events may be impactful or decisive. The scenarios here
determined that the walls were not very high or were in are just examples; the Dungeon Master should alter these
severe disrepair, the defenders’ loss percentage could be or make up new encounters to suit. Remember, these
as high as 5%, in which case the defending force would events will only change the ultimate outcome of a clash of
have suffered 15 casualties. armies if the odds are already very close.
Use field loss rules instead of siege loss rules if a Assassinate the General. This scenario probably plays
fortification is completely ineffective, as in the case of the out at night. The player characters sneak into the enemy
entire attacking force being able to fly over the walls camp and assassinate a war leader whose tactical cunning
unhindered. might otherwise be decisive to the battle.
This conflict emphasizes stealth; if the characters remain
hidden, they escape easily. If they are discovered, before or
In a fantasy setting, armies may include spellcasters or after the assassination, they must fight their way out or
ferocious monsters with amazing and decisive capabilities. otherwise escape.
Often, these factors will play into the Dungeon Master’s Alternative versions include stealing a war banner or
determination of who wins the conflict. Particularly, large- other important icon to affect morale, burning siege
scale spellcasting can be decisive when the other force engines or poisoning wells during a siege scenario, or
lacks the ability to counter that magic or respond in kind. sabotaging important works like a floating bridge.
Exceptional attacks also apply a modifier to the enemy’s Develop a Plan. Smart, tactical characters might be able
casualty count, doubling, tripling, or quadrupling it at the to turn the tide by coming up with an impressive plan to
win the battle. The strategy might include deceptive feints enemy camp in the dark of night, it could involve
or timely maneuvers that contemplate the peculiarities of infiltration using magical or mundane disguises, or the use
the terrain. The Dungeon Master can determine the of scrying spells.
effectiveness of these plans with an Intelligence (History) Like the “develop a plan” encounter, an intelligent
check against a DC that reflects the difficulty of the character might be able to determine weaknesses just
upcoming fight. Alternately, the check might be opposed from latent clues, performing arithmetic to estimate
by the same roll from the enemy commander. enemy numbers based on its camp fires or determining
If the players come up with an actual plan, one that is how long a siege can hold out by correctly estimating the
impressive from a tactical or dramatic standpoint, the DM supply reserves.
may forego any rolls and simply decide how effective the Win New Allies. This sort of encounter is typically
plan is for the army. performed long before the armies meet, when there is still
Impassioned Speech. The historic significance of time for additional forces to take the field. It is also the
inspiring speeches ahead of battle is dubious. A war encounter type where player characters are most likely to
leader’s words cannot carry beyond a small part of the change the outcome of the war if the original forces are
army. However, raising morale this way is a time-honored nearly equivalent.
dramatic device that enhances the story and keeps the Usually, this encounter requires the characters to treat
focus of the game where it should be, on the players. with some other force, like convincing a neighboring duke
Therefore, the DM may give one character the opportunity to bring his soldiers to their aid. However, this scenario
to make an impassioned speech before each day’s clash. If could also be turned on the enemy, attempting to hire
multiple characters are leading multiple groups of soldiers, away some of their mercenaries or upsetting their vital
each such character can attempt to affect its own troops’ alliances. This encounter may require roleplaying like the
morale. “impassioned speech” encounter, as well as require
The speaking player should take some effort to roleplay complex diplomacy and bribery. Skill-based ability checks
the speech, or at least to provide an outline of what is said. using Charisma and Wisdom are often appropriate.
The content of the speech is important to the drama of the Sometimes getting aid takes effort beyond mere
scene. This event should not be reduced to mere die-rolls, persuasive talk. Perhaps the Queen of the Elves will not be
although dice do have a say in it. swayed unless the party can find her missing heir or solve
An impassioned speech is typically followed by a the mystery of her murdered consort. This technique
Charisma (Persuasion) check. Under certain rare allows the characters to have a profound effect on a battle
circumstances, the Deception or Intimidation skills might while invoking the real DUNGEONS & DRAGONS rules instead
substitute. There is no DC for this check; the Dungeon of the cumbersome army mechanics suggested by many
Master determines its general effectiveness for morale mass-combat systems. Play progresses on a character-
based on the height of the result and the details of the scale, keeping the focus of the game on the players, where
speech provided by the player. it should be.
Certain characteristics can give the speaking character
advantage on this roll, reflecting training in oration or
Sometimes characters get involved directly in a battle. For
leadership. A character may gain advantage by spending a
better or worse, they must now try to defeat the enemy,
Bardic Inspiration die or, with the Rally Maneuver, a
achieve military objectives, or just plain survive in their
Combat Superiority die. A character with the Inspiring
small section of the conflict.
Leader feat automatically claims advantage on this roll. If
A few mid-battle scenes like these can create a sense that
the characters are leading their own army, one with an
the player characters are doing their part as the conflict
established loyalty score, the Dungeon Master may apply
unfolds. Two or three such battles will give players the
advantage if the army’s loyalty score is above 15 (or
right sense of scale, whether fought during a single clash or
disadvantage if its score is below 6). The DM may also
across multiple days.
choose to apply advantage for other characteristics or
Alternately, turning one of these encounters into a
active spells.
single, larger-scale conflict might capture that feel in a case
Scout for Weaknesses. With the right combination of
where allied soldiers fight alongside the player characters.
capabilities, the characters may be able to provide crucial
In that case, give all players control of one to three soldiers
intelligence to one of the armies, information about the
each (probably using the guard statistics in the Monster
opponent’s numbers, defensive works, general health, or
Manual) in addition to their own characters. The players
likely strategies. While this might mean sneaking into the
determine the actions for their assigned soldiers and make group after group at the party until, regardless of character
their various rolls for them. This method can increase the level, they are very worn down. Just make sure to vary the
players’ sense of connection with the army, having fought groups and not overdo things; this repetition should be
(rolled dice) side by side with them. However, when using draining to the characters, not tedious to the players.
this technique, it is best to limit the mid-battle encounters Straight Battle. A simple event, the characters go head-
to just one, lest the game bog down. to-head with enemy forces for a set period, until the thick
Following are some example encounters. The Dungeon of the fighting shifts away from the characters’ position,
Master can alter these or make up new encounters to suit. allowing them a respite.
Capture the Position. The characters seek to capture a This event lets the characters experience combat with a
small but important thing. The thing is typically a strategic variety of enemy forces they might not otherwise
location, but it could be the pennant of an important encounter. Do the foes have manticores? What about
enemy, a mobile siege weapon, a cage-wagon full of organized phalanxes? Whatever unique quality the enemy
prisoners, or the like. has, this is a good time to showcase it.
This event probably gives the characters an opportunity This event is also useful for dramatic clashes between
to plan their assault, but they will have to contend with important characters. Does a certain baron on the
larger forces or overcome the entrenchments and opposing side have a grudge with the characters? Perhaps
fortifications laid by the enemy. the swirl of melee sweeps that baron and his honor guard
Hold the Position. Opposite of “capture the position,” into direct confrontation with the characters, bringing to a
the characters oversee the holding of something important head several years of acrimony and political machinations
while enemies try to take it away. The characters probably in one swift, brutal encounter.
benefit from various pre-made fortifications to help them
control the area.
This is a good event to run consecutively with the “hold A clash of armies is a significant event. It involves large
the position” event, perhaps a day later, as players take numbers of individuals, sweeps up the local peasantry,
and then try to hold something of importance. ruins field drainage and crops, affects politics and
Close the Gate. The characters must fight off a mass of commerce for decades to come, and it lives in the hearts of
charging enemies long enough for the defenders to close the citizenry for generations. A century later, that muddy
the main gain. Perhaps the mechanisms have jammed, by hillside might still be remembered for the battle that took
sabotage or simple ill-use, and the engineers need a place there on a cold autumn day long ago.
minute to fix it. The enemies keep coming, but the Effects on the player characters should be significant and
characters cannot retreat until the mechanism is fixed and meaningful.
the gate closes. (The characters should have some way to
retreat when this event concludes, like a hoist ready to lift If the characters’ side will lose the battle, the Dungeon
them swiftly to the crenels at the top of the wall.) Master should have a prepared series of ways to
Variations of this event include defending an enemy demonstrate the importance of the loss. Perhaps allied
counter-charge as sappers position their petards against cities are sacked, their peasants beggared or taken as
the castle wall, guarding the wizard from an enemy throng slaves. Perhaps the borders between kingdoms shift and
until she can finish casting her spells, or holding the dock the new lords impose their culture, religion, or trade
until the queen’s ship can push off and carry its royal cargo practices on their new holdings.
to safety. If the characters’ side wins, the Dungeon Master should
Fighting Retreat. The player characters are take care to demonstrate how this effects the locals,
overwhelmed and must fight their way out of a tight spot. particularly individual non-player characters that the
Perhaps their position was isolated by the enemy and party is familiar with. In addition to raising national pride,
overrun, and the characters must escape into the nearby economies are often bolstered by war. The local baker and
forest or across the river. Whatever the case, the the innkeeper, both known to the player characters, may
characters fight a series of running battles as pockets of have expanded their businesses by preparing food en
enemy forces catch up to them, either on foot or mounted. masse for the army, reaping great profits.
The characters may have minutes or only a few rounds Whatever the case, the clashing forces probably
between waves. consumed every bit of crops and hunted all the game
This is an excellent event to emphasize the long, slogging within range of the army, leaving the poor to starve for a
nature of a war being lost. The Dungeon Master can throw
year or two after the conflict. Local adults or older children
may have been pressed or hired into military service, and
never returned. These can have a profound effect on the
characters’ world.

Win or lose, if the characters distinguish themselves in

war, the rewards can be high. Depending on the power and
resources of the side to which the characters were aligned,
successful actions in the Pre-War and Mid-War phases can
earn certain recognition.
Low-level characters might be granted gentle status,
nobility, knighthood or the equivalent. For providing far-
reaching assistance, particularly if the characters’ side is
victorious, higher titles and grants of land may be
appropriate.
If the characters were aligned with a region, faction, or
government that rates renown, each well-handled
encounter in the Pre-Battle and Mid-Battle phases might
be worth a whole point of renown.

Similarly, if the characters fare poorly in the events leading

up to the clash, even if their side won, the characters might
suffer some sort of penalty.
This could be a stripping or reduction of military rank or
noble title. More likely, it simply comes with a long-term
reputation as incompetent; it will be a long time before the
authorities entrust the player characters with future
enterprises or resources.
If the characters were aligned with a region, faction, or
government that rates renown, each poorly-handled
encounter in the Pre-Battle and Mid-Battle phases might
cost a whole point of renown.
 USE WEALTH
WITH PURPOSE
The fifth edition of DUNGEONS & DRAGONS
gives very few options for characters
wondering how to spend their large sums
of wealth. This Comprehensive Manual
helps Dungeon Masters present an
assortment of commercial ventures to
their players, providing a wealth of new
ideas for using that hard-earned gold.

This book gives helpful insight into

managing wealth and nonmaterial assets
in D&D. It also talks the Dungeon Master
through commercial ventures like making
simplified investments, owning land,
building structures and ships, and raising
armies.

For use with the fifth edition

Player’s Handbook ®, Monster Manual ®,
and Dungeon Master’s Guide ®

Best when also used with

Xanathar’s Guide to Everything ®