# Obsidian - Randomness - Random Notes From Folders ![[images/Obsidian-Randomness-Random-Notes-From-Folders.webp]] [Watch on YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-z02RfborEk) · 14:10 · Josh Plunkett · 2026-08-07 > Rebuilt from the video transcript on 2026-10-11. An earlier version was written from the chapters and frames because captions weren't available then. ## Outline ### 00:00 Intro - The question: ever wanted to roll a random note from one of your folders, and maybe filter results to notes with a specific property or tag? Randomness makes it easy. - **Why it matters: shop inventories.** Josh dislikes in-game shopping. Players with money want to buy everything, and in D&D 5e, which assumes low magic, handing out lots of magic items unbalances the game. He has since moved to PF2e, which has recommended item tables for each level and each player, and he recommends it to anyone with the same problem. - **01:30** What he always wanted: imported compendiums (made with the TTRPG Convert CLI from 5e or PF2e/Foundry data) already have one note per item and per monster. So why build a random table that just copies the vault's contents? A button that says "give me a random note from this folder, filtered by these properties" removes all that duplication. For example: "ten common items and two uncommon from this folder." - Josh opens on the Randomness page in the Obsidian community plugin directory: a random generator engine with inline rdm: codeblocks, rich table output, and Inspiration Pad Pro 3 .ipt file support. ![[images/Obsidian-Randomness-Random-Notes-From-Folders-t0100.webp]] - The demo vault has a compendium folder (adventures, backgrounds, bestiary, classes, items and more, all from D&D-style source books) and a "Random Notes from a Folder — examples" note. The Randomness sidebar shows its Generators, Decks, Portraits, Builder and Dice tabs. ### 04:09 Random Note From A Folder - Inline code like `rdm:*|folder=compendium/items|link` shows a dice button; clicking it rerolls a link to a random note from that folder, such as a random item, monster or spell. - folder= is recursive and matches every note under that path. - Clicking the result opens the note. The same pattern points at the Monsters and Spells folders. In the demo it rolled a "+1 weapon" from the new Dungeon Master's Guide. - Drop the |link segment and you get a random paragraph from the note instead of a link (for example "+1 Ammunition, uncommon"). ![[images/Obsidian-Randomness-Random-Notes-From-Folders-t0430.webp]] ### 06:25 Random Note With Property Filter - Items store their rarity in a detail frontmatter property. Add key=value segments to narrow the pool; values are case-insensitive. - Examples: a random Rare item; Uncommon or Rare (a comma means OR); and key=* for any item that has the property set at all. - The general pattern on screen: `rdm:*|folder=folderA/FolderB|propertyName=Value|link`. - **Why it matters:** 10 unfiltered random items will statistically include extremely rare ones and ruin the game. With a store template you can write 10 lines, most of them common and the bottom two maybe rare, which controls what flows to the players. ![[images/Obsidian-Randomness-Random-Notes-From-Folders-t0530.webp]] ### 08:30 Random Note With Tag Filter - The same idea using Obsidian tags. A tag with no folder searches the whole vault, and nested tags match their children automatically. - Examples: `#ttrpg/item/rarity/rare` for a random Rare item, `#ttrpg/item/weapon/martial` for a martial weapon, and `#ttrpg/item/armor` for any armor (matching armor/heavy, armor/light and armor/medium). - The general pattern: `rdm:#Tag/Tag/Tag/Tag|link`. - He concedes that nested tags really are useful ("I can hear your clever laughter"). The CLI-imported notes already carry hierarchical tags because the CLI's developer prefers them. - **09:50** What's missing is **price**. 5e doesn't price magic items, so you could add prices to your item notes or roll on a separate price table. He's unsure about a separate table, since a rare weapon should probably cost more than a rare potion. ![[images/Obsidian-Randomness-Random-Notes-From-Folders-t0740.webp]] ### 10:31 Using AND or OR - Stack segments with a pipe to require all of them, and use commas inside a segment for OR. - Examples: an Uncommon weapon from the items folder (tag plus property plus folder); a weapon or a piece of armor (comma between tags); a weapon and modern-age item (pipe between tags). - Cheat sheet: * starts from all notes; folder=Path restricts to a folder (recursive); key=value must match; key=a,b is a or b; key=* just has to exist; #tag must carry the tag; #a,#b is either tag and #a|#b is both; |link inserts a wikilink (omit it for a random paragraph); |linkpath shows the full vault path. ![[images/Obsidian-Randomness-Random-Notes-From-Folders-t1000.webp]] - **11:20** Put these in a template and combine them with random portraits for the shopkeeper. Homebrew item notes that use the same tags join the pool automatically, with no table or plugin update needed. Results can be rerolled or locked, like other Randomness output. ### 12:24 Outro - He thanks his Patreon supporters and jokes about (then rejects) a spinning-dagger "Russian roulette" table. - New users should start at obsidianttrpgtutorials.com → Getting Started. For help, join the Obsidian TTRPG Discord, where you can drag in a note that isn't working so people can troubleshoot it. - Links to the plugin, the Obsidian TTRPG Community and the TTRPG Foundation Vault on Patreon. ## Things Mentioned ### Obsidian plugins - **Randomness** (free, community plugin by Josh Plunkett): https://community.obsidian.md/plugins/randomness ### Tools and websites - Obsidian tags, nested tags, and frontmatter properties (core Obsidian features) - Inspiration Pad Pro 3 (.ipt generator files, supported by Randomness) - [Obsidian TTRPG Tutorials community](https://obsidianttrpgtutorials.com/) (free) - [TTRPG Foundation Vault on Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/JPlunkett) (paid) - TTRPG Convert CLI: generates the markdown compendium notes with tags and properties. Free. ### TTRPG systems - D&D 5e and the 2024 Dungeon Master's Guide (5.5e) compendium content (items, monsters, spells), used as the example data. - Pathfinder 2e (PF2e): Josh's current system, with recommended treasure-by-level tables. - Foundry VTT data, a source for PF2e imports. ## Bios - **Josh Plunkett**: An Australian GM and YouTuber behind Obsidian TTRPG Tutorials, known for Obsidian vault-building guides and the TTRPG Foundation Vault on Patreon. He builds his own plugins, including Randomness, Heraldry Weaver and Town Forge.