D&D 5E New playtest packet available.

[Henry]

For me, it's a great returning idea because those items are FUN. Who doesn't want a culminating magic item of a Mid to high level story arc being a set of gauntlets or belt straight out of mythology? For triqui's comment " those items will go to secondary characters" it would seem to imply there will be " more than one" - I would imagine those items to be rare magic items and not in common distribution. I still expect some kind of nod to rarity in a new edition, where more common straightforward "+X" items will be more common and items like this will be more rare.

For me, in 3e, most items were pretty darned boring, and I tried to avoid them, instead giving items that would grow with a character or offer a slightly game breaking effect and lots of flavor. Instead of some belt that gives pluses, why not Megingjörð? Instead of a two handed sword +5, why not a magic +X spear that flies true and opens into 30 barbs like Gáe Bolga? I want potion miscibility, though not as crazy as 1e's, I want mythic items at the top end like 1e's, not "all items reproduceable"', and I guess some of the quirky sense of wonder that was in the game prior to the tight codification since 3e. Personally I think injecting more of that back into the game will help attract more people. Well, that, and emphasizing the sense of fun that friends can have playing a game in just two or three hours around a table.

 

[Klaus]

I want potion miscibility, though not as crazy as 1e's, I want mythic items at the top end like 1e's, not "all items reproduceable"', and I guess some of the quirky sense of wonder that was in the game prior to the tight codification since 3e. Personally I think injecting more of that back into the game will help attract more people. Well, that, and emphasizing the sense of fun that friends can have playing a game in just two or three hours around a table.

I think the "item origin" tables in the packet are a great way of making an item unique. They add minor, but flavorful traits to all manner of magic items.

 

[Phoenix8008]

I think the "item origin" tables in the packet are a great way of making an item unique. They add minor, but flavorful traits to all manner of magic items.

I used these to great effect in my current playtest game. I even made another table to randomize which 'item origin' table (or tables) to use:

1-3 Basic vanilla item
4-8 Creator Unique
8-11 Nature Unusual
11-15 Minor Properties
15-18 Minor Quirks
19-20 Roll twice and use both

So, if you roll a 15 you get a minor property and a minor quirk for instance. Made some really awesome (but basic still) magic item descriptions starting with these idea seeds.

 

[triqui]

I would suggest that the game and its designers should not go out of their way to "meta-proof" the game from those people. If players are actually dumping stats because they think/know they are going to be getting a set of Gauntlets of Ogre Power at some point and thus don't want to "waste" their point-buy points when they create their character... then you know what? They are an outlier and the game shouldn't bother wasting their time setting up rules trying to bring them "back in line".

My issue is not about rewarding those who dumped str on purpose. It's about rewarding those who really shouldn't be taking it.

If a player took the fighter, and really want to be the party's powerhouse, and he spent his point buy or best roll to get 18 str, then when the gauntlet drops, it's going to be given to someone else. Not necesarelly to the cleric who dumped STR to 8. Maybe to the cleric who put a STR 14 or 16, because he also needed WIS. But in anyway, the fighter won't take it. And now the cleric is as strong as he is.

 

[Connorsrpg]

[MENTION=607]Klaus[/MENTION] and [MENTION=211]Phoenix8008[/MENTION]. I too love the flavour tables for DnDN. In fact, many of these appeared in the 3.5E DMG2 and were some of my favourite additions to the game. (That whole book was great). [MENTION=211]Phoenix8008[/MENTION], I did something like that too, but I just gave a flat chance of rolling on each chart.

I am really trying to focus on making magic (especialy MIs) mysterious again, with powers, quirks and origins that can be discovered over time.

 

[Garthanos]

I am really trying to focus on making magic (especialy MIs) mysterious again, with powers, quirks and origins that can be discovered over time.

Would you like to see the quote in the players handbook of 4e where it describes how the DM may require... you to make arcana checks, go in quests, use custom rituals in order to discover the nature of magic items?

(I like the table of quirks too).

I also like the the Attunement rules they feel very organic... Slots dont... not spell slots and not item slots.

 

[Gorgoroth]

Yeah, I really love how in 4e anyone with the most OP skill, Arcana, can scan the entire world for magic at-will for free, with little other training in magic. That's not broken, at all.

Arcana skill is one of the worst features of 4e, not the best. Geez, magic's presence and purpose is about as rare / precious / mysterious as scanning a bag of doritos with your iphone at the 7-11. complete f00bar if you ask me. nobody thought it was remotely balanced if you ask me. At-will read-magic, fine. But at-will detect magic, for anyone with the skill? YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!!!

 

[Garthanos]

Overpowered... now that is what I call rediculous.
Almost every fantasy book I have read had people getting a tingling or weird feeling when a magic item was touched, or interacted with.
'
Its only the special characters who have spent the effort to actually be trained in it that have the ability to sense magic that takes a feat unless you are a wizard or the like.
And its a very unlikely expenditure unless you have a solid intelligence and are interested in multiclassing or the like (Being trained is not like spending one of several points you get leveling up every level in 3e its actually a price tag).

And its certainly not a optimizer's skill choice ... your impression is misinformed at best.

 

[Klaus]

Overpowered... now that is what I call rediculous.
Almost every fantasy book I have read had people getting a tingling or weird feeling when a magic item was touched, or interacted with.
'
Its only the special characters who have spent the effort to actually be trained in it that have the ability to sense magic that takes a feat unless you are a wizard or the like.
And its a very unlikely expenditure unless you have a solid intelligence and are interested in multiclassing or the like (Being trained is not like spending one of several points you get leveling up every level in 3e its actually a price tag).

And its certainly not a optimizer's skill choice ... your impression is misinformed at best.

Yeah, pretty much agreed with this.

 

[Gorgoroth]

Arcana allows you to scan the entire dungeon, every twig and piece of rotten fruit lying on the ground, for magic, without any discrimination as to where to use it. I agreed with 4e adding wizards having at-will magic such as magic missile or whatever so they never run out. But at-will detect magic? that's completely un-balanced