How many rare magic items are in the D&D 5e SRD?

The SRD lists 119 rare items. The SRD is the free subset of the rules, so the Dungeon Master's Guide contains more at this rarity.

What level should a party be for rare items?

As a rough guide, uncommon items suit levels 1 to 5, rare 5 to 10, very rare 11 to 16, and legendary 17 and up. Common items are safe at any level, and artifacts are story objects rather than tier-appropriate rewards. These are guidelines rather than rules — what matters is whether the specific item invalidates the encounters you have planned.

Do rare items require attunement?

Some do and some do not; each item's entry states it. Attunement is the real limit on magic items rather than rarity, because a character can only be attuned to three items at once, which forces a genuine choice once the party has a few.

Magic items by rarity

D&D 5e Rare Magic Items

The D&D 5e SRD includes 119 rare magic items. Match the rarity to your party's tier when seeding a hoard. Tap any item for its full rules text.

Rarity:

119 results

What's at rare rarity

119 items, made up of 54 wondrous items and 19 rings, with 46 more across other groups. 61 of them require attunement — 51% of the tier, and that percentage is the number that matters when you are stocking a hoard. A character can only be attuned to three items at once, so handing out four attunement items at the same rarity gives the player a decision rather than four upgrades.

When to hand these out

Rare items suit levels 5 to 10, and this is the tier where magic items start to define characters rather than supplement them. Attunement becomes the real constraint here: with only three slots, a party choosing between rare items is making a genuine decision, which is more interesting than simply accumulating them.

What they do to the game

Rare items commonly grant a resistance, a flight speed, a per-day spell or a substantial defensive bonus — each of which can invalidate an encounter you designed. That is not a reason to withhold them; it is a reason to know which ones the party has. Check attunement counts before you build a set-piece around a vulnerability the party can now ignore.

Common questions

How many rare magic items are in the D&D 5e SRD?: The SRD lists 119 rare items. The SRD is the free subset of the rules, so the Dungeon Master's Guide contains more at this rarity.
What level should a party be for rare items?: As a rough guide, uncommon items suit levels 1 to 5, rare 5 to 10, very rare 11 to 16, and legendary 17 and up. Common items are safe at any level, and artifacts are story objects rather than tier-appropriate rewards. These are guidelines rather than rules — what matters is whether the specific item invalidates the encounters you have planned.
Do rare items require attunement?: Some do and some do not; each item's entry states it. Attunement is the real limit on magic items rather than rarity, because a character can only be attuned to three items at once, which forces a genuine choice once the party has a few.

From the shop

Illustrated Magic Item Cards

800+ magic items as illustrated, printable cards — hand a player their new item as a prop instead of a line on a list.

Browse Magic Item Cards on Etsy →

← Magic Items