On Wishes and Magic Item Shoppes and Gold: The Paradox of Choice

[lowkey13]

*Deleted by user*

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

Haven’t thought about the inscrutable Vain in ages. Loved the ambivalence of the…not sure I can call Vain a character or not…plot device?

Anyway, I’ve become increasingly leery of wishes in D&D. Classic D&D wish behavior involves the DM using the wish to royally mess with the PC if they get too greedy (or even if they keep it reasonable). Even if I’ve rarely done so, that reputation precedes wishes, and most will fear to even use them. As a DM, that puts me in a rough spot, and I’d rather avoid that sort of adversarial play in the first place.

As for gold, it’s a weird thing. There are some players that consider gold just an adventuring byproduct. Then there are those that, even if their characters are already wealthy, will always demand to be paid for whatever task presents itself. I think that, like the wish spell, there’s some carried-down associations from past editions, where gold acquisition was also tied to XP and level advancement.

I was reminded of a campaign I ran in mid-80s. I had recently finished the Second Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, and I had introduced an NPC to the group. For those of you familiar with the series, he was similar to Vain

 

[lowkey13]

*Deleted by user*

 

[Stalker0]

See also, Kosh Naranek, Babylon 5. .

"The avalanche has already started. Its too late for the pebbles to vote" - Kosh Naranek

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

I guess I just get tired of PCs who are heroes only for the sake of greed, with no further motivation. It’s like, give me something to work with as a DM and we’ll both get more out of the game.

Heck, I only have one PC that adventures for wealth. The rest – one adventures to help people, another for glory, and the third seeks his own death at the hands of a worthy foe (which, naturally, he hasn’t found yet).

Well, I think at a certain point it has to be tied into character motivation. From a meta-game perspective, the PC is adventuring to become more powerful (through the transmutation of dead critter flesh into XP). But from the PC perspective, they are usually adventuring for a reason, and if that reason is money- why? Why do they want that money? Assuredly not just "to retire," because most PCs would get enoug by, oh, 7th level to easily retire comfortably. And I don't know about you, but I'm not facing certain death for diminishing marginal utility.

 

[Li Shenron]

I think it's a feature of Wish to torture the players into choice paralysis

 

[delericho]

Thoughts?

In a previous group I had a player who absolutely hated using any limited-use magic items (potions or scrolls), mostly because they might need the item later and partly because they could just rest, have the Cleric prepare that spell, and so save the item.

The upshot was that he went through a great many campaigns with an inventory of such items that he never used.

I bring this up because I was thinking about the threads on magic item shoppes and/or gold in 5e. More often than not, there is a discussion (and/or argument) between those who want more detailed rules for spending gold, and those who argue that gold has so many uses.

For whatever it's worth, my current group of newbie players have already twigged that gold is essentially useless in the RAW - they have a couple of armour upgrades still to get, but otherwise there's nothing.

It's probably worth noting that the nature of the campaign doesn't really give much scope for building castles, trading artwork, or the "so many uses" you mention, but given that WotC's published campaigns are pretty much all of that model it's probably a valid observation.

 

[The Crimson Binome]

Put me in the camp of players who hate finite-use items. Unless that item has the ability to permanently alter the status quo, it's effectively worthless. Given that challenges will only increase in difficulty over time, using an item in order to get through these lesser trials now, will mean that I have no chance of surviving the greater threats later on; especially since I will no longer have that item, to help me.

 

[Hussar]

Funnily enough, back in 1e whenever we got wishes, we just saved them for resurrections. We knew that the DM wouldn't monkey paw a wish like that and it was just a great "get out of jail free" card.

I haven't given out wishes in a game in so long it's ridiculous. Kinda like dragons. I haven't dropped one of those into an adventure in FAR too long.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

Funnily enough, back in 1e whenever we got wishes, we just saved them for resurrections. We knew that the DM wouldn't monkey paw a wish like that and it was just a great "get out of jail free" card.

I haven't given out wishes in a game in so long it's ridiculous. Kinda like dragons. I haven't dropped one of those into an adventure in FAR too long.

I'm that way with dungeons. I don't think I've used one in at least 6 years, and that was fairly abbreviated.

I always chuckle a bit when I see someone claim that DnD is only really good at dungeon crawls.

Dragons I have a bad habit of just using as "strong monster", though.