Talk:5e Equipment

Notes

I don't agree. A magic item is one which is supernatural in nature. I don't believe being a "reward item" or "rare drop" has anything to do with it. A "special" mundane item would be extraordinarily valuable. A "special" magic item would have a high rarity. I also don't believe magic items (or even unusual mundane items) should necessarily be treated as custom-made one-of-a-kind things that can only be found and never normally sold or purchased, mainly because that makes no sense. It's video game logic. That method treats major quest rewards more like they're an intrinsic part of the character, rather than actual items- a wholly eastern thought process we have adoped through gaming. I also don't think the designation of "magic item" should have anything to do with uniqueness. A true one-of-a-kind clockwork item is still mundane. --Kydo (talk) 09:37, 18 April 2016 (MDT)

Kydo, buying magic items is at the DMs discretion (DMG p. 135). It might be impossible, or the market might be flooded with them. This is going to vary between campaigns, so we can only accommodate the "default" position. In addition, non-magical items can be found in the Magic Items chapter of the DMG.

Specific example: Adamantine armor is not magical but in a "normal" campaign you can't routinely find it for sale: it is not listed in the PHB with the mundane armor. It is listed in the DMG with the magic items. In a "normal" campaign it appears only when the DM wants it to: as a reward, or available to purchase if allows it (per DMG p. 135).

As for one-of-a kind clockwork items, we can look at the apparatus of Kwalish. Now I don't know if it's clockwork or not, but it is mechanical and it's got levers and exhaust pipes. It's thematically similar to items editor's have made here such as the auto-turret. The apparatus is not listed in the PHB with adventuring gear, it is an item with a rarity, and again appears when the DM wants it to.

Do you have an alternative method of deciding which list a new item should go in? Do you want rare and unique items to be listed with mundane adventuring gear? Marasmusine (talk) 02:35, 19 August 2016 (MDT)

ETA: I wonder if we should have separate lists for clockwork items and alchemical items? Marasmusine (talk) 02:55, 19 August 2016 (MDT)

My complaint is with the terminology itself. It isn't anyone's fault that I feel the developers used very poor keyword selection. Example: Healing potions are a magical item, and they're listed in the PHB alongside things like chalk. This brings up ambiguity, like "Are spellcasting focuses and spellbooks magical or mundane objects?" and "Is a clockwork item from the DMG actually magical, or is it just extremely rare?" To me, whether something is actually supernatural or not matters a great deal, and it is frustrating beyond description that the game seems to be completely ambivalent about the subject. To reuse your example of adamantine armor: Despite being apparently supernaturally inert, one would need to use the create magic item downtime activity instead of craft, simply because it is listed as a "magic item". The designation is one of mechanical importance, not a meaningful descriptor of the actual nature of the object. --Kydo (talk) 14:31, 19 August 2016 (MDT)

I mean, maybe I'm wrong, and the "magic items" section is strictly for magic items, I'm just trying to use the existing framework for "special" items that would not appear regularly and/or have special requirements to construct. Now, the DMG does have other sections with equipment.

• Siege equipment neither has a rarity nor a gp value, implying that they appear as the adventure requires, or constructed as the DM adjudicates. We have made a section in the wiki to match this.
• Firearms, explosives and alien technology. Renaissance items have a gp value since they border the standard "medieval fantasy" setting, whilst modern and futuristic are anachronistic so have no cost. On the wiki, I've put these on the mundane weapons list in their own section.

So it might be worth segregating other types of equipment (clockwork, steam; we could even give these the existing renaissance tag), editors can give them a gp value or a rarity. Marasmusine (talk) 09:49, 21 August 2016 (MDT)

Discrepancy

The number next to the rods section states that there are 11 rods, but in actuality, there are 5 rods on that page, and the number next to the potions section states that there are 45 potions, but there are actually 23 on the page. SirSprinkles (talk) 20:10, 8 January 2017 (MST)

Question

What is the difference between Staff and rod ? White Goat (talk) 09:53, 20 January 2021 (MST)

A staff acts as a quarterstaff for all intents and purposes while rods and wands don't act as any sort of weapon.--Blobby383b (talk) 18:15, 4 February 2021 (MST)

I've got a very stupid question

What would a pair of magic bracelets/armbands classify under? I ask because it's definitely not armor, but it wouldn't be under rings either. Thanks in advance Bananaoverlord2345 (talk) 08:04, 14 November 2022 (MST)

Anything that can't be categorized as a weapon/armor/ring/ect. is lumped in with wondrous items.--Ref3rence (talk) 08:28, 14 November 2022 (MST)

Thank you so much.Bananaoverlord2345 (talk) 09:15, 14 November 2022 (MST)