Itemization in Revenge of the Firstborn

For the first update of 2026, I thought we’d talk a bit about the loot system in Revenge of the Firstborn. In a past update, we talked about the crafting system, which can be used to improve any of the loot in the game or to create new items altogether. You can check out that game update at this link. For this update, we’ll focus on some of the unique items in the game, some craftable set items and touch on the random loot system in place for the Endless Dungeon roguelike mode.

The Classic Items You’d Expect

One of the benefits of going with an existing ruleset such as the 3.5 SRD is that it comes with a number of built-in iconic items. The Holy Avenger, the Sun Blade, the Vorpal Sword…

All of these weapons have quests related to obtaining them, and some of them come with their own consequences of ownership – for instance, as hinted at in the screenshot above, obtaining the Vorpal Sword may bring unwanted attention…

We Can Rebuild It

The game also contains a number of powerful artifacts whose pieces are scattered around the game world. I’ll freely admit this system is cribbed from Baldur’s Gate 2, where I first saw it. Each of these items includes at least one component that is very difficult to obtain. Some items may be guarded by a powerful enemy, others will, for instance, only be able to be reassembled by a single blacksmith, who happens to have been dead for centuries. The idea is that these are powerful items that are very difficult to obtain.

Last but not least is dragon scales and the items that can be made for them. If you should happen to defeat one of the handful of dragons that can be found, you can claim their scales to create some of the best armors and shields in the game.

A full Set

The pen and paper rules have a few examples of set items, for example, the famous Hand and Eye of Vecna. Set items are much more common in computer RPGs than in the table top game and Revenge of the Firstborn will have a few different set items that you can look for as you travel through the world.

Random Loot for Random Dungeons

We’ve talked about the Endless Dungeon in a past post and any random dungeon needs to come with random loot. The random loot generator for Revenge of the Firstborn has the ability to generate any non-unique property available in the game on any weapon or armor. There is also a percentage chance of generating a random unique item. This percentage chance increases as you get deeper into the Endless Dungeon.

The random loot is a big part of making a Roguelike mode work. Bring a bit of diablo-style looting is a big part of what makes the Endless Dungeon so fun.

Itemization is one of the core pillars of any good RPG. Hopefully you like what you’re hearing about Revenge of the Firstborn’s loot system!