System Reference Document 5.2.1
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has a value of 5,500 GP, which is the sum of a Rare 
magic item’s value (4,000 GP) and the cost of Plate 
Armor (1,500 GP).
Magic Item Rarities and Values
Rarity Value* Rarity Value*
Common 100 GP Very Rare 40,000 GP
Uncommon 400 GP Legendary 200,000 GP
Rare 4,000 GP Artifact Priceless
*Halve the value for a consumable item other than a Spell Scroll . 
The value of a Spell Scroll  is double what it costs to scribe the scroll 
(as specified in the “Scribing Spell Scrolls” section of “Equipment”).
Activating a Magic Item
It usually takes a Magic action to activate a magic 
item. The item’s user might also need to do some -
thing special. The description of each item category 
or individual item details how an item is activated. 
Certain items use the following rules for their 
activation.
Command Word
A command word is a word or short phrase that 
must be spoken or signed for an item to work. Spo -
ken command words must be audible and fail to 
work in areas where all sound is suppressed, as in 
the area of the Silence  spell.
Consumable Items
Some items are consumed—used up, in other 
words—when they are activated. A Potion of Healing  
must be swallowed, for example, while the writing 
vanishes from a scroll when it is read. Once used, a 
consumable item loses its magic.
Spells Cast from Items
Some magic items allow the user to cast a spell from 
the item. The spell is cast at the lowest possible 
spell and caster level, doesn’t expend any of the us -
er’s spell slots, and requires no components unless 
the item’s description notes otherwise. The spell 
uses its normal casting time, range, and duration, 
and the user of the item must concentrate if the 
spell requires Concentration. Many items, such as 
Potions, bypass the casting of a spell and confer the 
spell’s effects with its usual duration. Certain items 
make exceptions to these rules, changing the cast -
ing time, duration, or other parts of a spell.
 A magic item may require the user to use their 
own spellcasting ability when casting a spell from 
the item. If the user has more than one spellcasting 
ability, the user chooses which one to use with the 
item. If the user doesn’t have a spellcasting ability, 
their spellcasting ability modifier is +0 for the item, 
and the user’s Proficiency Bonus applies.
Charges
Some magic items have charges that must be ex -
pended to activate their properties. The number 
of charges an item has remaining is revealed when 
the Identify spell is cast on it. A creature attuned to 
an item knows how many charges the item has and 
how many it regains.
“The Next Dawn”
Magic items often have charges or properties that 
recharge at the next dawn or some other specified 
time. If such an item is on a world or plane of exis -
tence where the specified event doesn’t occur, the 
GM determines when the item recharges.
Cursed Items
A magic item’s description specifies whether it 
bears a curse. Most methods of identifying items, in -
cluding the Identify  spell, fail to reveal such a curse.
 Attunement to a cursed item can’t be ended volun -
tarily unless the curse is broken first, such as with a 
Remove Curse spell.
Magic Item Resilience
A magic item is at least as durable as a nonmagical 
item of its kind. Most magic items, other than Po -
tions and Scrolls, have Resistance to all damage.
 An Artifact can be destroyed only in some special 
way. Otherwise, it is impervious to damage. Learn -
ing how to destroy an Artifact usually requires 
research or the completion of a quest.
Crafting Magic Items
“Equipment” contains rules on brewing Potions of 
Healing and scribing Spell Scrolls . To create other 
magic items, follow the rules below. In these rules, 
“you” refers to the character crafting the magic 
item.
Arcana Proficiency
To craft a magic item, you and any assistants must 
have proficiency in the Arcana skill.
Tools
The Magic Item Tools table lists which tool is re -
quired to make a magic item of each category. You 
must use the required tool to make an item and 
have proficiency with that tool. Any assistants must 
also have proficiency with it. For more information 
on the tools, see “Equipment.”