diff --git a/.checkstyle/checkstyle.xml b/.checkstyle/checkstyle.xml
index 716990df9f3..9777cb88fb5 100644
--- a/.checkstyle/checkstyle.xml
+++ b/.checkstyle/checkstyle.xml
@@ -37,14 +37,6 @@
         <!-- https://checkstyle.org/config_imports.html#AvoidStarImport -->
         <module name="AvoidStarImport"/>
 
-        <!-- https://checkstyle.org/config_misc.html#AvoidEscapedUnicodeCharacters -->
-        <module name="AvoidEscapedUnicodeCharacters">
-            <property name="allowByTailComment" value="true"/>
-            <property name="allowEscapesForControlCharacters" value="true"/>
-            <property name="allowNonPrintableEscapes" value="true"/>
-            <property name="severity" value="info"/>
-        </module>
-
         <!-- https://checkstyle.org/config_misc.html#CommentsIndentation -->
         <module name="CommentsIndentation"/>
 
diff --git a/Essentials/src/main/java/com/earth2me/essentials/MetaItemStack.java b/Essentials/src/main/java/com/earth2me/essentials/MetaItemStack.java
index 14be12c1f5b..bc120aa033d 100644
--- a/Essentials/src/main/java/com/earth2me/essentials/MetaItemStack.java
+++ b/Essentials/src/main/java/com/earth2me/essentials/MetaItemStack.java
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 package com.earth2me.essentials;
 
+import com.earth2me.essentials.items.transform.PluginItemTransformer;
 import com.earth2me.essentials.textreader.BookInput;
 import com.earth2me.essentials.textreader.BookPager;
 import com.earth2me.essentials.textreader.IText;
@@ -11,6 +12,7 @@
 import com.google.common.base.Joiner;
 import net.ess3.api.IEssentials;
 import net.ess3.api.TranslatableException;
+import org.bukkit.Bukkit;
 import org.bukkit.Color;
 import org.bukkit.DyeColor;
 import org.bukkit.FireworkEffect;
@@ -46,6 +48,9 @@
 public class MetaItemStack {
     private static final Map<String, DyeColor> colorMap = new HashMap<>();
     private static final Map<String, FireworkEffect.Type> fireworkShape = new HashMap<>();
+
+    //Contains plugin registered item meta data transformers.
+    private static final transient Map<String, PluginItemTransformer> itemTransformers = new HashMap<>();
     private static boolean useNewSkullMethod = true;
 
     static {
@@ -77,6 +82,32 @@ public MetaItemStack(final ItemStack stack) {
         this.stack = stack.clone();
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Registers an item transformer, belonging to a plugin, that can manipulate certain item metadata.
+     * @param key the key for the transformer.
+     * @param itemTransformer the actual transformer.
+     */
+    public static void registerItemTransformer(String key, PluginItemTransformer itemTransformer){
+        //Warn people if they're trying to register over top of someone else.
+        if(itemTransformers.containsKey(key)){
+            Bukkit.getLogger().warning(String.format("[Essentials] - Plugin transformer registered to \"%s\" attempted to register already existing item transformer \"%s\" belonging to \"%s\"!",
+                    itemTransformer.getPlugin().getName(),
+                    key,
+                    itemTransformers.get(key).getPlugin().getName()));
+            return;
+        }
+
+        itemTransformers.put(key, itemTransformer);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Unregisters a certain item transformer under key "key".
+     * @param key the transformer key.
+     */
+    public static void unregisterItemTransformer(String key){
+        itemTransformers.remove(key);
+    }
+
     private static void setSkullOwner(final IEssentials ess, final ItemStack stack, final String owner) {
         if (!(stack.getItemMeta() instanceof SkullMeta)) return;
 
@@ -319,11 +350,28 @@ public void addStringMeta(final CommandSource sender, final boolean allowUnsafe,
             } else {
                 throw new TranslatableException("leatherSyntax");
             }
+        } else if (split.length > 1 && itemTransformers.containsKey(split[0])) {
+            transformItem(split[0], split[1]);
         } else {
             parseEnchantmentStrings(sender, allowUnsafe, split, ess);
         }
     }
 
+    private void transformItem(String key, String data){
+        final PluginItemTransformer transformer = itemTransformers.get(key);
+
+        //Ignore, the plugin is disabled.
+        if(!transformer.getPlugin().isEnabled())
+            return;
+
+        try{
+            stack = transformer.apply(data, stack);
+        }catch(Throwable thr){
+            Bukkit.getLogger().severe(String.format("[Essentials] - Error applying data \"%s\" to itemstack! Plugin: %s, Key: %s", data, transformer.getPlugin().getName(), key));
+            thr.printStackTrace();
+        }
+    }
+
     public void addItemFlags(final String string) throws Exception {
         final String[] separate = splitPattern.split(string, 2);
         if (separate.length != 2) {
diff --git a/Essentials/src/main/java/com/earth2me/essentials/items/transform/PluginItemTransformer.java b/Essentials/src/main/java/com/earth2me/essentials/items/transform/PluginItemTransformer.java
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..f1df7291c34
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Essentials/src/main/java/com/earth2me/essentials/items/transform/PluginItemTransformer.java
@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+package com.earth2me.essentials.items.transform;
+
+import org.bukkit.inventory.ItemStack;
+import org.bukkit.plugin.Plugin;
+
+public abstract class PluginItemTransformer {
+    private final Plugin plugin;
+
+    public PluginItemTransformer(Plugin thePlugin){
+        if(thePlugin == null)
+            throw new IllegalArgumentException("Plugin cannot be null!");
+
+        this.plugin = thePlugin;
+    }
+
+    public abstract ItemStack apply(String data, ItemStack original);
+
+    public Plugin getPlugin() {
+        return plugin;
+    }
+}
diff --git a/Essentials/src/main/java/com/earth2me/essentials/utils/StringUtil.java b/Essentials/src/main/java/com/earth2me/essentials/utils/StringUtil.java
index d9d6602d7b1..3399a462f29 100644
--- a/Essentials/src/main/java/com/earth2me/essentials/utils/StringUtil.java
+++ b/Essentials/src/main/java/com/earth2me/essentials/utils/StringUtil.java
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ public final class StringUtil {
     private static final Pattern INVALIDFILECHARS = Pattern.compile("[^a-z0-9-]");
     private static final Pattern STRICTINVALIDCHARS = Pattern.compile("[^a-z0-9]");
     @SuppressWarnings("CheckStyle")
-    private static final Pattern INVALIDCHARS = Pattern.compile("[^\t\n\r\u0020-\u007E\u0085\u00A0-\uD7FF\uE000-\uFFFC]");
+    private static final Pattern INVALIDCHARS = Pattern.compile("[^\t\n\r -~\u0085\u00A0-\uD7FF\uE000-\uFFFC]");
 
     private StringUtil() {
     }