D&D 5E Magic Items You'll Never Give Out

[pukunui]

I don't like the periapt of wound closure and the weapon of warning.

Automatically stabilizing lessens the threat of dying too much for my tastes, and never being able to catch the PCs unaware while they're sleeping doesn't sound like my idea of fun.

I do not intend to ever include either magic item in any game I run.

Are there any magic items you refuse to include in your games?

 

[S'mon]

I don't use intelligent weapons where I have to track Ego, Affinity etc, it all feels like busywork to me. I'd rather just make ad hoc dice checks.

 

[Charles Rampant]

I've had problems with the Periapt as well. My players felt that it meant the character just ignored the mechanic entirely, meaning that at the start of his turn he just went back to 0. I was rather unimpressed with the idea that a hypothetical Assassin could stand next to his unconscious body, sawing at his throat with a razor, and never kill him since he'd only make one attack a turn. Naturally, having had a wee argument over it, it never came up.

I've never given out magical plate, or indeed magical heavy armour in general. The players tend to get quite aggrieved at this - not to mention generically complaining about a lack of magical toys in general in 5e - but I cheerfully observe that I roll all my items and the tables make magical platemail essentially impossible to acquire. So I guess I've a problem with it in terms of it causing meaningless arguments?

In general, I find that magic items are a major source of friction between me and my players. They want more of them, they want to buy all the most powerful ones, and they hate finding one-use items. Like almost every DM ever, I prefer fewer magic items, and to avoid ones that'll unbalance the game (i.e. all the ones that the players want). If this is what it's like in 5e, I can only imagine how annoying it was for a DM in 3e.

 

[pukunui]

I don't use intelligent weapons where I have to track Ego, Affinity etc, it all feels like busywork to me. I'd rather just make ad hoc dice checks.

Fair enough. The few times I've included sentient weapons in my games, I've mostly just let them fade into the background.

I've had problems with the Periapt as well. My players felt that it meant the character just ignored the mechanic entirely, meaning that at the start of his turn he just went back to 0. I was rather unimpressed with the idea that a hypothetical Assassin could stand next to his unconscious body, sawing at his throat with a razor, and never kill him since he'd only make one attack a turn. Naturally, having had a wee argument over it, it never came up.

Exactly! That is one of my issues with it too: because of the way the 5e dying rules work, the periapt makes it so the PC can't be killed except by massive damage or by a deliberate effort on the part of the NPCs (read DM) to gang up on the downed PC.

In general, I find that magic items are a major source of friction between me and my players. They want more of them, they want to buy all the most powerful ones, and they hate finding one-use items. Like almost every DM ever, I prefer fewer magic items, and to avoid ones that'll unbalance the game (i.e. all the ones that the players want). If this is what it's like in 5e, I can only imagine how annoying it was for a DM in 3e.

I considered entitling this thread "DM/Player Hypocrisy", because I've found that, like you, when I DM, I want to limit what the players have access to for balance reasons and whatever else, whereas when I play, I want all the best things and to the Nine Hells with balance!

 

[Caliban]

I've had problems with the Periapt as well. My players felt that it meant the character just ignored the mechanic entirely, meaning that at the start of his turn he just went back to 0. I was rather unimpressed with the idea that a hypothetical Assassin could stand next to his unconscious body, sawing at his throat with a razor, and never kill him since he'd only make one attack a turn. Naturally, having had a wee argument over it, it never came up.

Hopefully, the assassin knows enough to check for and remove jewelry or other possible magic items after the second or third time they do an auto-crit sneak attack on the unconscious body and the target doesn't die. Or even research their target enough to know what protective magic items they have ahead of time...

Because if they just stand there sawing away at the unconscious guys throat...well, they deserve whatever happens.

 

[Croesus]

Exactly! That is one of my issues with it too: because of the way the 5e dying rules work, the periapt makes it so the PC can't be killed except by massive damage or by a deliberate effort on the part of the NPCs (read DM) to gang up on the downed PC.

What I did was give the characters an item that automatically (no action) stabilizes one ally within 60', but only 3/day. If more than one ally is down at the same time, the item picks randomly. It works well in my game, as PCs get dropped quite often. In the final boss fight in PotA, the item actually ran out of charges long before the fight was over.

A simple fix to the Periapt of Wound Closure is to limit it to 1/minute or some such.

I considered entitling this thread "DM/Player Hypocrisy", because I've found that, like you, when I DM, I want to limit what the players have access to for balance reasons and whatever else, whereas when I play, I want all the best things and to the Nine Hells with balance!

I get what you're saying, and sometimes feel the same. However, our current GM is giving out so many items, they've stopped feeling special. I had to create a spreadsheet to track all the items we haven't even distributed, because the characters have so much stuff. BTW, our highest level character is just 7th.

 

[Caliban]

Most of the stuff in the DMG, other than the basics.

I just enjoy creating my own magic items too much.

 

[pukunui]

I get what you're saying, and sometimes feel the same. However, our current GM is giving out so many items, they've stopped feeling special. I had to create a spreadsheet to track all the items we haven't even distributed, because the characters have so much stuff. BTW, our highest level character is just 7th.

Wow, yeah. That's crazy. I don't really enjoy that as a player either (which is why I edited my comment from "all the things" to "all the best things").

 

[Charles Rampant]

Exactly! That is one of my issues with it too: because of the way the 5e dying rules work, the periapt makes it so the PC can't be killed except by massive damage or by a deliberate effort on the part of the NPCs (read DM) to gang up on the downed PC.

Honestly, it's a real problem with the 5e dying rules in general - to make things scary, you have to basically bully a player whose character isn't even getting to do cool things. I'm not a fan of it, really, and I don't like big house rules, so my players simply don't die a lot.

I considered entitling this thread "DM/Player Hypocrisy", because I've found that, like you, when I DM, I want to limit what the players have access to for balance reasons and whatever else, whereas when I play, I want all the best things and to the Nine Hells with balance!

It does depend. On the only recent occasion I've been a player in a D&D game, a 4e one to be precise, I was almost demanding that the DM make harsh rule calls and really go for the kill. I like it to be really challenging, and don't particularly mind my character dying or the group having a setback. That seems to be a rare view though.

Magic items can be a funny thing. Almost everyone agrees, when you ask, that 4e's Residuum and 3e's Cure Light Wound Wands were a step too far, doesn't feel magic, etc, and can even express a preference for having few magic items; but during games I nevertheless seem to field constant requests for more magic items. Now, sure, one group is playing Hoard of the Dragon Queen, and that module is known for being light on magic items. But I still got players coming to me and asking 'Is 5e really this light on magic items? We've still not got any magic weapons for my barbarian to use.', at level five. Next session they find a Studded Leather +1, which I put on Dralmorrer Greyborn and gave a custom description and minor powers to suit his awesome picture, and the players collectively declared it to be worthless and shrugged. What can you do?

 

[pukunui]

Honestly, it's a real problem with the 5e dying rules in general - to make things scary, you have to basically bully a player whose character isn't even getting to do cool things. I'm not a fan of it, really, and I don't like big house rules, so my players simply don't die a lot.

Agreed. I've had a few PCs die due to failed death saves. I only have monsters attack PCs while they're down if it makes sense for them to do so (like a revenant who wants to make sure its target isn't going to get up again). I think, though, that the chance of a PC dying in 5e has been deliberately reduced as part of the emphasis on story. Fortunately, there are fates worse than death in this game ... several of the PCs in my 5e games have lost eyes and limbs and suffered from debilitating bouts of madness and the like.

Magic items can be a funny thing ... Next session they find a Studded Leather +1, which I put on Dralmorrer Greyborn and gave a custom description and minor powers to suit his awesome picture, and the players collectively declared it to be worthless and shrugged. What can you do?

I hear you!