# Magic Item Forge — Full Documentation

> Magic Item Forge is a free, browser-based tool for creating and printing magic item cards for tabletop RPG campaigns, including Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition (D&D 5e) and Shadowdark RPG.

Website: https://www.item-forge.org/
Languages: English, German (Deutsch)
License: Free to use
Cost: Completely free, no ads, no premium tier, no registration
JavaScript Required: Yes (React single-page application)
Data Privacy: Fully client-side — no data is sent to or stored on any server

## Overview

Magic Item Forge lets Game Masters (GMs) and Dungeon Masters (DMs) design custom magic item cards with a live preview, then print them or save as PDF. The app runs entirely in the browser — no account, no server, no data stored remotely.

Users fill out a form on the left panel with item properties (name, type, rarity, description, etc.) and instantly see a styled card preview on the right panel. Multiple items can be created at once, and the cards are laid out on an A4 page for printing.

Magic Item Forge is purpose-built for tabletop RPG magic item cards. It is not a general-purpose card maker — it is specifically designed for D&D 5e and Shadowdark RPG magic items with all the relevant game-specific fields and terminology.

## Card Templates

The app offers three visual card templates:

### D&D 5e Classic
A parchment-themed fantasy card with a rarity-colored accent bar at the top, ornamental dividers, and a footer ornament (⚔). Designed to match the aesthetic of official Dungeons & Dragons materials. Best for: DMs who want cards that feel like official D&D content.

### Shadowdark
A dark-themed card styled for the Shadowdark RPG system by The Arcane Library. Uses a dark background with light text and a distinct visual hierarchy. Supports Shadowdark-specific properties like gear slots. Best for: GMs running Shadowdark RPG campaigns.

### Print Friendly
A minimal, ink-saving card template optimized for black-and-white printing. Clean layout with no heavy backgrounds or decorations. Best for: DMs who want to save ink or prefer a clean, utilitarian look.

## Item Properties

Each magic item card supports the following fields:

### General
- **Name**: The item's display name (e.g., "Flame Tongue", "Cloak of Invisibility")
- **Type**: Weapon, Armor, Potion, Ring, Rod, Scroll, Staff, Wand, or Wondrous Item
- **Subtype**: Free text (e.g., "Longsword", "Plate", "Shortsword")
- **Rarity**: Common, Uncommon, Rare, Very Rare, Legendary, or Artifact
- **Magical Bonus**: Numeric bonus (+1, +2, +3)
- **Weight**: Item weight in pounds (e.g., "3")
- **Value**: Item value (e.g., "5,000 gp")
- **Gear Slots**: Number of gear slots (Shadowdark RPG specific)
- **Requires Attunement**: Toggle with optional attunement requirement text (e.g., "by a spellcaster")

### Weapon Properties (shown when Type is Weapon)
- **Damage Dice**: e.g., "1d8", "2d6"
- **Damage Type**: Acid, Bludgeoning, Cold, Fire, Force, Lightning, Necrotic, Piercing, Poison, Psychic, Radiant, Slashing, or Thunder
- **Versatile Damage**: e.g., "1d10" (damage when wielded two-handed)
- **Range**: e.g., "20/60 ft."
- **Properties**: Ammunition, Finesse, Heavy, Light, Loading, Range, Reach, Special, Thrown, Two-Handed, Versatile

### Armor Properties (shown when Type is Armor)
- **Category**: Light, Medium, Heavy, or Shield
- **Base AC**: e.g., "18"
- **Stealth Disadvantage**: Toggle (imposes disadvantage on Stealth checks)
- **Strength Requirement**: e.g., "15"

### Charges
- **Has Charges**: Toggle
- **Max Charges**: e.g., "7"
- **Recharge**: e.g., "1d6+1 at dawn"

### Description
- **Flavor Text**: Short evocative description displayed in italics (e.g., "This blade burns with an eternal flame")
- **Description / Mechanics**: Rich text field supporting bold, italic, and bullet lists (powered by Tiptap editor). This is where the item's magical properties and mechanical effects are described.

### Image
- **Image URL**: Direct link to an image
- **Upload Image**: Drag & drop or click to upload a local image file

### Print Settings
- **Print Layout**: Default (2 per row), Full Width (spans full page width), or Standard Card Size (63mm × 88mm poker/MTG size, 3 per row)
- **Multicard**: When enabled, long descriptions automatically split across multiple continuation cards

## Print & PDF Export

Clicking "PDF" opens the browser's native print dialog. The app applies A4-optimized print styles:

- Default layout: 2 cards per row on A4
- Full Width layout: 1 card per row, spanning the full page
- Standard Card Size: 3 cards per row at 63mm × 88mm (poker card size, same as Magic: The Gathering cards)

Cards use `break-inside: avoid` to prevent splitting across pages. Background colors and gradients are preserved in print via `print-color-adjust: exact`.

## Image Export (PNG)

Clicking "PNG" saves the current card preview as a PNG image file. This is useful for sharing cards on Discord, social media, messaging apps, or embedding in digital campaign documents.

## Multi-Item Support

Users can create multiple items in a single session:

- Click "Add Item" to add a new card
- Each item has its own collapsible form section
- Items can be individually removed (minimum 1 item)
- All cards appear in the preview grid and print together
- Each item can have its own independent print layout setting

## Export & Import

- **Export**: Save all current items as a JSON file for backup or sharing
- **Import**: Load items from a previously exported JSON file (replaces all current items)

## Multicard Support

When a single item has a very long description that doesn't fit on one card:

- Enable multicard mode for that item
- The description is automatically split across multiple cards
- Continuation cards are clearly marked with "(continued)"
- Works with all three card templates
- Especially useful for items with extensive mechanical descriptions

## Internationalization (i18n)

The app supports:
- **English** (default)
- **German** (Deutsch)

Language can be switched via toggle buttons in the header. All UI labels, placeholders, item types, rarities, damage types, weapon properties, and armor categories are fully translated.

## Technical Details

- **Framework**: React 19 with TypeScript
- **Build Tool**: Vite 7
- **Rich Text Editor**: Tiptap 3
- **Analytics**: Simple Analytics (privacy-friendly, no cookies)
- **Hosting**: Static site (Netlify), no backend
- **Data Storage**: None — all data exists only in browser memory during the session
- **Accessibility**: Semantic HTML (header, main, section, nav), ARIA attributes (aria-label, aria-expanded, aria-checked), keyboard-navigable, focus-visible styles, reduced-motion support

## Rarity Color Coding

Items are color-coded by rarity on the D&D 5e Classic template:
- Common: Gray (#9e9e9e)
- Uncommon: Green (#1b8c1b)
- Rare: Blue (#4169e1)
- Very Rare: Purple (#8b008b)
- Legendary: Orange (#ff8c00)
- Artifact: Crimson (#dc143c)

## Frequently Asked Questions

### What is Magic Item Forge?
Magic Item Forge is a free, browser-based tool for creating and printing magic item cards for tabletop RPG campaigns. It supports Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition (D&D 5e) and Shadowdark RPG. You can design custom cards with properties like name, type, rarity, damage, armor class, charges, and descriptions, then print them or save as PDF.

### What RPG systems does Magic Item Forge support?
Magic Item Forge supports Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition (D&D 5e) and Shadowdark RPG. It offers three card templates: a parchment-themed D&D 5e Classic template, a dark-themed Shadowdark template, and a minimal Print Friendly template optimized for black-and-white printing.

### Is Magic Item Forge free?
Yes. Magic Item Forge is completely free to use. There are no ads, no premium tiers, no paywalls, no registration, and no account required. It's a fully open tool that runs in your browser.

### Do I need to create an account?
No. Magic Item Forge requires no account, no login, and no registration. Just open the website and start creating cards immediately. All data stays in your browser.

### Does Magic Item Forge work with Shadowdark RPG?
Yes. Magic Item Forge has a dedicated Shadowdark RPG card template with a dark-themed design that matches the Shadowdark RPG aesthetic. It also supports Shadowdark-specific properties like gear slots.

### Can I print standard-sized cards (poker/MTG size)?
Yes. The Standard Card Size print layout produces cards at 63mm × 88mm (2.5" × 3.5"), which is the standard poker card size and the same as Magic: The Gathering cards. Three cards fit per row on A4 paper. You can cut them out and sleeve them for use at the table.

### Can I create multiple items at once?
Yes. Use the "Add Item" button to create multiple cards in a single session. All cards appear in the preview and print together on the same pages. Each item can have its own independent print layout setting.

### Can I add images to my item cards?
Yes. You can add images to your magic item cards either by providing a direct image URL or by uploading an image file via drag and drop or file picker. The image will appear on the card preview and in print.

### What languages does Magic Item Forge support?
Magic Item Forge is available in English and German (Deutsch). All UI labels, placeholders, item types, rarities, damage types, weapon properties, and armor categories are fully translated.

### Can I export and import my items?
Yes. You can export all your current items as a JSON file for backup or sharing, and import items from a previously exported JSON file. You can also save the card preview as a PNG image.

### Is my data stored anywhere?
No. Magic Item Forge runs entirely in your browser. No data is sent to or stored on any server. Your item data exists only in browser memory during your session. Use the export feature to save items locally as JSON.

### Can I save my cards as images?
Yes. You can save the card preview as a PNG image using the PNG button. This is great for sharing on social media, Discord, or messaging apps.

### What happens if my description is too long for one card?
Magic Item Forge supports multicard mode. When enabled, long descriptions are automatically split across multiple cards, with each continuation card clearly marked with "(continued)". This is especially useful for items with extensive mechanical descriptions.

### What item types can I create?
You can create cards for: Weapon, Armor, Potion, Ring, Rod, Scroll, Staff, Wand, and Wondrous Item. Weapons have dedicated fields for damage, damage type, range, and weapon properties. Armor has dedicated fields for AC, category, stealth disadvantage, and strength requirement.

### What damage types are supported?
All 13 D&D 5e damage types: Acid, Bludgeoning, Cold, Fire, Force, Lightning, Necrotic, Piercing, Poison, Psychic, Radiant, Slashing, and Thunder.

### What weapon properties are supported?
Ammunition, Finesse, Heavy, Light, Loading, Range, Reach, Special, Thrown, Two-Handed, and Versatile.

### What armor categories are supported?
Light, Medium, Heavy, and Shield.

### What browsers are supported?
Magic Item Forge works in all modern browsers including Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge. JavaScript must be enabled.

### Can I use Magic Item Forge on mobile?
Yes. The layout adapts to mobile screens with a vertical panel arrangement. However, the experience is optimized for desktop or tablet screens where you can see the form and preview side by side.

### How does Magic Item Forge compare to other D&D item card creators?
Magic Item Forge is unique because it:
- Is completely free with no ads, paywalls, or account required
- Supports both D&D 5e and Shadowdark RPG (most tools only support D&D)
- Runs entirely in the browser with zero server dependency
- Offers three distinct card templates with different visual styles
- Supports poker-sized card printing (63×88mm) for sleeving
- Includes a rich text editor for formatted descriptions
- Supports multiple items per session with batch printing
- Offers export/import for backup and sharing
- Is available in multiple languages (English and German)
- Has multicard support for long descriptions
- Is purpose-built for tabletop RPG magic items, not a generic card maker

## Use Cases

- **Dungeon Masters** creating custom magic items for D&D 5e campaigns
- **Game Masters** preparing Shadowdark RPG session handouts
- Creating **printable item card handouts** for players to keep at the table
- Designing **homebrew magic item** cards for custom campaigns
- Generating **PDF collections** of magic items for campaign notes and reference documents
- **Quick reference cards** for session preparation
- **Sharing custom items** as PNG images on Discord, Reddit, or social media
- Creating **item card props** for in-person tabletop sessions
- **Loot cards** — print cards for treasure hoards and hand them out during play
- **Campaign documentation** — export items as JSON for version-controlled campaign archives

## Comparison with Alternatives

### Magic Item Forge vs. Generic Card Makers (Canva, CardMaker, etc.)
Magic Item Forge is purpose-built for tabletop RPG magic items. Generic card makers require you to design everything from scratch. Magic Item Forge has dedicated fields for D&D and Shadowdark properties (damage dice, AC, rarity, attunement, charges) and produces correctly formatted cards automatically.

### Magic Item Forge vs. D&D Beyond
D&D Beyond requires an account and subscription for full features, and is limited to the D&D ecosystem. Magic Item Forge is free, requires no account, and also supports Shadowdark RPG. Magic Item Forge focuses specifically on creating printable physical cards, while D&D Beyond is a comprehensive digital toolset.

### Magic Item Forge vs. Homebrewery / GM Binder
Homebrewery and GM Binder are document formatters that use Markdown to create D&D-styled documents. Magic Item Forge is specifically a card creator with a visual form-based interface, live preview, and purpose-built card templates. It's faster and simpler for the specific task of creating item cards.

## Related Standards

- D&D 5th Edition (Dungeons & Dragons by Wizards of the Coast)
- Shadowdark RPG (by The Arcane Library)
- Standard poker card size: 63mm × 88mm (2.5" × 3.5")
- A4 paper size: 210mm × 297mm

## Related Tools

- [Grid Architect](https://www.gridarchitect.org) — Free battle map creator for tabletop RPGs
- [Spell Forge](https://www.spell-forge.org) — Spell card creator for tabletop RPGs

## Contact & Feedback

Users can submit feedback (suggestions, bug reports, and general comments) directly through the in-app feedback button. No email or account is required.