Magic Threshold?

On page 187 in the DMG "Magic Threshold" is mentioned in the section about designing NPCs. What is this? Where is it explained? I can't find it in the indexes of the DMG or PHB.

In checking old posts, it would appear that the "magic threshold" is a fudge factor that is used when creating NPCs and monsters, that takes into account bonuses that are already assumed to be present in the base creature. Simply apply them as a penalty to any magic defenses, attacks, etc. where stated, when you give a creature an item that the threshold would apply to.

It's explained in the sidebar on the same page (187).

Yeah, I saw the sidebar I just wasn't sure if it went into more depth elsewhere. I was worried that there was some kind of rule in which high mundane defenses override or cap magical defenses.

It's just a fudge factor to make NPCs viable without loading them down with magical gear.

James McMurray said:

It's just a fudge factor to make NPCs viable without loading them down with magical gear.

Click to expand...

Or rather, it is the converse - it is a fudge factor so that you can equip NPCs/monsters with magical treasure without making them too powerful, as they are designed to be ballance vis-a-vis the PCs without such treasure.

Or in other words, it is a way to allow a GM to have NPCs actually using magical treasure (after all, if the goblin king has a magical axe, doesn't it make more sense to actually wield it than store it in a box) without breaking the math behind the game.

Actually it's both, so that an NPC can go around without magic treasure without being gimped by it -and- so that you can give an NPC a cool magic sword without munging the math into inconvenient territory.

Both are correct.

4E NPC design allows you to not worry about having to gear out your NPCs - their attack and defense numbers doesn't rely on items.

But this means you can't just add +3 when you do give your Orc Chieftain a +3 Axe. To make the Orc not rely on items, it has already got a bonus to its stat consistent with average items for its level. Let's say this bonus is +2.

Thus, if you added the +3 for the Axe, you would really end up with a bonus of +5 (because of the underlying built-in +2 bonus), which is too much - it would make magic items too valuable for NPCs (essentially doubling the enhancement bonus).

You only want to add the part of the +3 that's not already added in.

Which, of course, is 3-2=1. So when you give the Orc the +3 Axe, you add +1 to attacks and damage.

Note that this number, 2, is the threshold number. I hope you now see why the DMG instructs you to deduct the threshhold number for the monster's level from any gear you hand out to NPCs.

PS. If you were to give the same +3 axe to a low-level town villager, that NPC is constructed with no magic bonus at all. Hence, the threshold number is 0. Hence, the axe would grant all of its +3 to attacks and damage for this NPC.

And finally, player characters. Like that villager, a PC (of any level) is built with no assumption of a magic item threshold. This is why when the party kills the Orcs, they get to add the full +3 to their own attack and damage stats!

Not as difficult as it might seem, I trust?!