Items

Creating an item

1. Click Items in the sidebar
2. Click New Item
3. Enter a name (required)
4. Fill in additional fields as needed
5. Click Save

Item fields

Basic information

Properties

Story and lore

For properties the party shouldn’t know yet, keep them out of the player-visible Description and note them in Lore, or mark the whole item Secret so it stays DM-only.

Tracking

Organization

Rarity guidelines

Rarity affects both mechanical power and story significance. A Legendary item should feel legendary - it has history, reputation, and consequences. An Artifact is one of a kind: there is only one, and it can change the campaign.

Item categories

For plot-critical objects (MacGuffins, keys), pick the closest category and tag them quest-item.

Tracking ownership and location

Who has it?

Set the Owner field to track possession:

• Link to a party member if the party has it
• Link to an NPC if someone else has it
• Leave blank if it’s unclaimed

When ownership changes, update the field. This becomes your inventory tracking.

Where is it?

Set the Location field for items not currently owned:

• The treasure hoard in the dragon’s lair
• The artifact hidden in the temple
• The weapon mounted in the tavern

When the party takes an item, set the Owner and clear the Location.

Hiding what the party doesn’t know yet

There’s no separate “identified” flag - you control the reveal with visibility:

• Keep an unidentified item’s properties and lore out of the player-visible Description
• Mark the item Secret (or DM Only) while its true nature is hidden
• Flip it to Player Visible, and fill in the Description, once the party identifies it

Using AI to create items

AI generation panel

1. Open the item and find the AI Generation panel (inside the AI Generation panel)
2. Pick a Generation Type (such as Item Lore)
3. Optionally enter a prompt: “cursed but the curse is subtle” or “made by dwarves for an elf king”
4. Set the Creativity slider and an optional Tone Preset, then click Generate
5. Review the suggestion cards and Accept the ones you want or Dismiss the rest

The engine is particularly good at creating lore and history for items. See AI generation for the full flow.

Quick generation with Quick Prep

1. Open Quick Prep from the dashboard (or the Session Companion -> Quick Generators)
2. Click Treasure/Loot
3. Choose a Tone
4. Optionally expand More options and set Use Campaign Context
5. Click Generate Treasure

This creates a complete item with name, description, properties, and lore. Promote it if you want to keep it.

-> Quick Prep generators

Types of items to track

Always track

• Quest items - Objects critical to story progress
• Signature equipment - Items that define characters
• Powerful magic items - Things that affect game balance
• Cursed items - Need to track effects and removal

Consider tracking

• Notable treasure - Significant finds worth remembering
• Plot-relevant mundane items - The letter, the key, the map
• Recurring items - Things that keep coming up

Don’t bother tracking

• Standard adventuring gear (rope, torches)
• Generic treasure (50 gold pieces)
• Consumables already used

Tips for better items

Give items history

A +1 sword is mechanical. “Thornbite, forged for Captain Aldric’s grandfather during the Siege of Whitehaven, still bearing a notch from the blow that killed the orc warlord” is memorable.

Connect items to your world

Link items to:

• NPCs who made, owned, or want them
• Locations where they’re found or were forged
• Factions who value or fear them
• Campaign Markers they relate to

Keep hidden properties dm-only

For things the party doesn’t know yet, mark the item Secret (or DM Only) and keep the twist out of the player-visible Description:

• The sword is actually intelligent
• The amulet is slowly corrupting its wearer
• The gem is a phylactery

Track changes

When items change - the sword gets reforged, the artifact is damaged - update the entry. Your item records should reflect current state.

Example: creating a magic item

Name: The Merchant’s Candle

Category: Wondrous Item

Rarity: Uncommon

Description: A thick white candle in a brass holder, its wax never seems to diminish no matter how long it burns. The flame gives off a warm, steady light and a faint scent of cinnamon.

Properties:

• Burns indefinitely without consuming wax
• Light illuminates 30 feet
• While lit, anyone within the light has advantage on Insight checks to detect lies
• Can be extinguished normally; relights with a word

Lore: Created by the Merchant’s Guild of Neverwinter for use in contract negotiations. Several dozen were made; most are still in guild possession, but a few have found their way into private hands. The guild considers them proprietary and will pay well for their return - or to prevent competitors from acquiring them.

Value: 400 gp (to the guild, much more)

Lore (mark the item Secret to keep this DM-only): The candle also records everything said in its light. Speaking the command word “witness” causes it to replay the last hour of conversation. The guild uses this for contract disputes. Most owners don’t know this feature exists.

Owner: (None - found in dungeon)

Location: Merchant’s Tomb, Level 2

Tags: magic-item, merchants-guild, negotiation

Related

• Creations overview - All 8 creation types
• Quick Prep generators - Quick item generation
• Relationships - Connecting items to your world
• Creation types reference - Complete field specifications