Buy a Magic Item Downtime Activity in D&D 5e

Downtime Activity
Buy a Magic Item

Player's Roll
Persuasion
Money Spent Searching:
Time Spent Searching:
Other options (optional)
Low / High Magic Campaign Modifiers
If you are running a low magic campaign, you can choose a -10 modifier. For a high magic campaign, you can have a +10 modifier.
Campaign Type Mod
Standard Campaign (defualt) Mod:  0
Low Magic Campaign Mod:  -10
High Magic Campaign Mod:  +10
Cost Modifier
Double the cost of magic items (typical for low magic campaigns)

Purchasing Magic Items

This page lists rules for purchasing a magic item during a player's downtime. Purchasing a magic item requires time and money to seek out and contact people willing to sell items. Finding magic items to purchase requires at least one week of effort and 100 gp in expenses. Spending more time and money increases your chance of finding a high-quality item.

  1. Have the player perform a Charisma (Persuasion) roll, and enter the roll in the appropriate field.
  2. Have the player choose the amount of money to spend on their search (min: 100gp). Choose the option.
  3. Have the player choose the amount of time to spend on their search (min: 1 week). Choose the option.
  4. The DM can choose some optional items. Such as:
    • Choose if they are playing a low magic, high magic or standard campaign.
    • Choose if magic items are extemely costly (2x the price, typical for low level campaigns)
  5. The DM has the option of choosing if there are complications with the sale (these typically require side adventure and extra planning)
  6. Click submit
When clicking submit, the page will reload and output a result based on the player's roll and the DM's choices. A more detailed explanation on how these results are determined is explained in the sections below.

Buying a Magic Item Check

Add up the Charisma (Peruasion) roll with any modifiers, and check the table below for the results.

Check Total Items Available
1-5 Items Available:  Roll 1d6 times on Magic Item Table A
6-10 Items Available:  Roll 1d4 times on Magic Item Table B
11-15 Items Available:  Roll 1d4 times on Magic Item Table C
16-20 Items Available:  Roll 1d4 times on Magic Item Table D
21-25 Items Available:  Roll 1d4 times on Magic Item Table E
26-30 Items Available:  Roll 1d4 times on Magic Item Table F
31-35 Items Available:  Roll 1d4 times on Magic Item Table G
36-40 Items Available:  Roll 1d4 times on Magic Item Table H
41+ Items Available:  Roll 1d4 times on Magic Item Table I

Magic Item Price

Pricing magic items is a large debate among D&D players. The price of a magic item, according the DMG, is based on the item's rarity. However, an item's rarity is not always a good measure of the item's power in relation to other items. The table below shows how items are priced (as described in Xanathar's Guide to Everything). However, when you make the roll on this page, we have also included the value based on the homebrew Sane Price Guide. The DM has full discretion on which price to use, and if they want to modify the price even more.

Rarity Asking Price*
Common Asking Price*:  (1d6 + 1) x10 gp
Uncommon Asking Price*:  1d6 x 100 gp
Rare Asking Price*:  2d10 x 1,000 gp
Very Rare Asking Price*:  (1d4 + 1) x 10,000 gp
Legendary Asking Price*:  2d6 x 25,000 gp
* Halved for a consumable item like a potion or scroll.

Magic Item Purchase Complication

The magic item trade is fraught with peril. The large sums of money involved and the power offered by magic items attract thieves, con artists, and other villains. If you want to make things more interesting, you can roll on the complications table or invent your own complication. Note: Most downtime activities have a 10% chance of a complication, however Xanathar's Guide to Everything makes complications optional when buying a magic item.

Complication (Optional)
Roll: 10 on a 1d12
d12 Complication
1 Complication:  The item is a fake, planted by an enemy.
2 Complication:  The item is stolen by the party’s enemies.
3 Complication:  The item is cursed by a god.
4 Complication:  The item's original owner will kill to reclaim it; the party’s enemies spread news of its sale.
5 Complication:  The item is at the center of a dark prophecy.
6 Complication:  The seller is murdered before the sale.
7 Complication:  The seller is a devil looking to make a bargain.
8 Complication:  The item is the key to freeing an evil entity.
9 Complication:  A third party bids on the item, doubling its price.
10 Complication:  The item is an enslaved, intelligent entity.
11 Complication:  The item is tied to a cult.
12 Complication:  The party's enemies spread rumors that the item is an artifact of evil.
† Might involve a rival.


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