Overview

ScryMarket’s identification system lets GMs create mystery items with hidden properties, manage player identification requests, and reveal true identities with a cinematic animation that plays for the entire party in real time.

Spawning Mystery Items (GM)

The fastest way to place a mystery item is the Spawn Mystery Wizard, a dedicated 3-step flow.

Navigate to it:

• Sidebar Identification page, then click Spawn Mystery Item
• Or from the GM Dashboard Mystery Items widget, click Manage

Step 1 — Select Template

Browse or search the marketplace for the real item. This is the item that will be revealed when the mystery is solved. Pick any item template (SRD, community, or your own).

Step 2 — Set Mystery Mask

Configure what players will see before identification:

Field	Required	Purpose
Mystery Name	Yes	What players see (e.g., “Strange Glowing Ring”)
Mystery Description	Yes	Flavor text shown to players
Fake Value	No	Misleading gold value (omit to show the real value)
Fake Weight	No	Misleading weight (omit to show the real weight)

Step 3 — Choose Target

Pick where to place the mystery item:

• A character’s inventory
• The party stash
• A deployed shop
• A loot pile

Set the quantity, then spawn. The item appears already marked as unidentified.

Managing Mystery Items (GM)

The Identification page (sidebar link) is the central hub for all mystery item management.

Mystery Items Browser

All unidentified items across the party are displayed here, grouped by location:

• Character Inventories — items held by individual characters
• Shops — items sitting on shop shelves
• Loot Piles — items in unrevealed or revealed loot
• Party Stash — items in shared party containers

Use the search bar to filter by mystery name or real item name. GMs can search by either; players can only search by mystery name (to prevent information leaks).

Revealing Items Directly

Click the eye icon on any mystery item to open the Reveal Confirm dialog:

• Dramatic Reveal toggle (on by default) — enables the Scrying Reveal animation for the entire party
• Confirm to reveal the item’s true identity immediately

GM Dashboard Widget

The GM Dashboard includes a Mystery Items summary showing how many unidentified items exist across the party, with a link to the full Identification page.

Handling Identification Requests (GM)

When players request identification (via the backend API), requests appear in the Pending Requests inbox at the top of the Identification page.

Each request shows:

• The mystery item name
• Who requested it
• When the request was submitted

Approve — opens the Reveal Confirm dialog with the dramatic toggle. Approval triggers a reveal (and the animation if dramatic is enabled).

Reject — opens a dialog where you can optionally include a rejection message that the player will see (e.g., “The sage needs more time” or “This item resists magical analysis”).

The Scrying Reveal

When dramatic reveal is enabled, the entire party sees a cinematic full-screen animation in real time via WebSocket.

The Sequence

1. Scrying Phase — An arcane eye appears, surrounded by rotating runic circles and swirling mist. The mystery item card is shown with increasing blur.
2. Divining Phase — The mist clears, runes flash in sequence, particles burst outward. A divination text reads “The true nature is revealed…”
3. Revealed Phase — The real item card fades in with a cascading entrance: name, rarity badge, description, stats, and tags appear one by one. A rarity-colored aurora glow fills the background.

Rarity Scaling

The animation scales with item rarity. Common items get a quick, subtle reveal. Legendary and artifact items get longer build-up, more particles, and a dramatic screen-edge flash.

Rarity	Scrying Duration	Particle Count
Common	2 seconds	None
Uncommon	2.5 seconds	15
Rare	3 seconds	25
Very Rare	3.5 seconds	40
Legendary	4 seconds	60

Real-Time Delivery

The reveal broadcasts over WebSocket to all online party members simultaneously. Everyone sees the same animation at the same time, turning identification into a shared table moment.

What Gets Hidden

When an item is marked unidentified, players see only the mystery data:

Property	When Unidentified
Name	Shows mystery name
Description	Shows mystery description
Image	Hidden (mystery placeholder shown)
Tags	Completely hidden
Rarity	Hidden
Metadata	Hidden
Value	Shows fake value (or real if no fake was set)
Weight	Shows fake weight (or real if no fake was set)

GM Advantage

GMs always see the real item data alongside the mystery mask, even when items are marked unidentified. This lets you:

• Plan encounters around hidden magical items
• Track exactly who has what powerful gear
• Time dramatic reveals for maximum story impact

Example: The Dragon’s Hoard

The party defeats a dragon and begins dividing treasure. You spawn an “Ornate Blade with Strange Runes” into the loot pile alongside gold and gems.

The fighter wants it. The paladin argues she dealt the killing blow. The rogue points out they found the secret entrance. Nobody knows if it is a basic longsword or a holy avenger.

This negotiation becomes gameplay. Who risks claiming the mystery? When they finally identify it mid-combat three sessions later, the Scrying Reveal lands with real weight because they earned it.

What’s Next?

• Inventory Guide — Container management and item organization
• Shops Guide — Deploy automated shops
• Encumbrance Systems — Weight, slots, and bulk systems
• Real-Time Collaboration — Party sync and transaction history