I know magic items are unnecessary but

[mikal768]

Call me old school if you like but I let the dice fall where they may when it comes to stuff like this. Yes, even for my NPCs, I almost always let it be generated by the dice results. Why? Because even most NPC's get their magic items the way PC's do- theft, murder, bribery!

Unless an NPC has a logical way to get a specific item (can create it, has contacts with someone who can create it), then they don't get a special pass.
Makes for a more organic experience I've found.

 

[Irda Ranger]

I pretty much just follow the tables in the DMG.

However, I always use the quirks and history tables too, so there are no "generic +1 longsword".

So one of my player's favorite items is a +3 longbow. But it's not just a +3 longbow, it's Faroth Dur, the Hunter of the Darkest Depths. It's made of driftwood and seaweed, inlaid with pearl, can be fired underwater without penalty, glows in the presence of aboleths and deep ones, hums with the rumble of distant waves when you pluck the bowstring, and has returning arrows that are fletched with sailfish fins and headed with the teeth of a megalodon shark.

It you resist the urge to re-roll the treasure tables to get cool stuff every time, and make sure the cool stuff is really cool when you hand it out, it feels magical. Which is what I'm aiming for.

 

[Riley37]

My method: when the enemies are a team as dangerous and skilled as the PCs, then some of those enemies may have a magic item. If the PCs defeat that foe, then the PCs can take the magic item.

 

[pming]

Hiya!

O_O

Handing out Magic Items? To PC's? .. .. .. Are you daft man?!? PC's with magic items makes the much too hard to kill! Pffttt.... Magic Items...For PC's.... *harumph*



Random Tables 99% of the time. Only on very rare occasion will I re-roll. Usually when I just don't like the item or it is FAR to powerful to keep the PC's alive. E.g., a level 2 character finds a Vorpal Sword or something; a Vorpal Sword will be pretty famous...and in the space of a couple weeks at most, said 2nd level PC will have to fight off Sir Brinesore, Black Knight of the Kingdom of Vornn who claims it as his legal birthright...oh, did I forget to mention Sir Brinesore is a 14th level Paladin of Vengeance?

True Story: In a 2e game a friend of mine ran one time back in the late 90's, a fellow player (best friend at the time) was a 1st or 2nd level drow fighter. He found a vorpal sword, iirc. My buddy said "Huh. Ok, I head towards to docks. Are there any ships around with people on them? If so I'll wait until night. ... ... Ok, so nobody around? Great, I take out the sword, wrap it up in a large sack filled with rocks and tied with 50' of silk rope. Then I toss it off the end of the longest dock, into the ocean". His reasoning? No effing way was he going to be walking around with that big "please kill me and take my item" sign on his neck.

^_^

Paul L. Ming

 

[jgsugden]

[MENTION=2629]jgsugden[/MENTION] #11 Very good post, and good System to spend coin on...

A question: Do you always follow this rule, no matter what campaign? (Asuming you do not only run 1 style of campaign which makes this question obsolete)

It is a guideline rather than a firm rule, but it is a guideline I set up when I start the game, so it tends to go into place and then get tweaked as we go to better suit the story/party.

For example: I was playing in a game and we had an effective TPK. The DM wanted a break, so I said I'd DM for a while. The players had just leveled up from 1 to 5 with the (now dead) party, so I said we'd pick up at level 6. I rolled up the hordes for tier 1 recommended by the DMG, but whenever I rolled up an item I also rolled a d6: 1-2, roll an item from the DMG and reroll if it was a consumable. 3-4: Add 2 consumables (potions, scrolls, etc...), 5-6: Create an item of appropriate power levels that balanced the number of attuned and unattuned items. Then I gave them 750 GP per PC and told them they could buy any common items, could negotiate to try to buy uncommon (or even rare) items, and could buy almost any non-magical items.

I also rolled up hordes for Tier 2 and applied the same rules as above (quadrupling the consumables - I only doubled them above as some of them would have been used) and created the money pool. As I ran the adventure (an update on a classic adventure) I replaced the treasures in the module with my treasures.

 

[TheSword]

I find the tables can result in some really inappropriate results depending on party mix. I don’t have such an issue with unusual items coming out but I do have an issue with several items coming out that only fit one player for instance, leaving three other players wanting.

I always pick specific items tailored to suit the party - with some oddball choices in there to liven things up.

There are suggestions for items per level band and party in Xanathars guide which is worth a look. It splits the items into categories. I do think they look a little light through so I wouldn’t be afraid to top up the numbers or add more powerful items a little earlier.

My thought process normally goes...

1. Open invite for players to message me if they have particular requests. No guaranteed but I’m happy to look at heirloom items, choices of weapons etc.

2. What items do I think would fit the feel of the campaign? If it’s Curse of Strahd adventure for example, what items have a slightly creepy undertone or fitting style.

3. What would make sense for foes to have and find useful. I prefer players to win items generally rather than find them unused.

4. Is there imbalance in the party that needs correcting either because of bad luck or inexperience.

I also like to liberally use exotic non magical items, special metals, strange herbs and fruits, gems, art objects and racial archetype items. I often go back to the ad&d forgotten realms adventurers guide to find an awesome list of art objects.

 

[Gardens & Goblins]

When I DM:

- I'll throw in Consumables as and when - for a specific quest, as some flavour, asa bonus etc

- Characters are currently starting at 9th and begin play with an Uncommon Item. Emphasis is placed on novelty rather than optimizing for synergy.

- Items are granted based on the quest and as a reward for players exercising agency. Research a big bad caster? Hunt them down and destroy? If they were using their fabled Item of X, the characters will have access to Item of X as part of the loot.

- The other source of items are other adventuring parties/adventures, as they're doing the same kinda things as the player's party.

It should be noted that many of the big bads are/were once 'adventures' in their own right (in some shape or form) and ultimately the ranks of the gods themselves are comprised on legendary adventures who moved... up.. in the world*.

*And were promptly booted out/locked out of reality by the First Mage (SUPER GOD!)

 

[jgsugden]

Finding a 'useless' item is not a bad thing - it creates an opportunity for trade or other interesting story twists. There are certain items that are *much* more useful to a noble or other prominent society member than they would be to an adventurer... and there are other adventuring parties out there that might be willing to trade to get an item that is right for them (but not for you). There are a lot of ways to spin it... don't be afraid to give the magic lute to the party with no bard.

 

[Tony Vargas]

We hope the above system prevents powergaming, getting too powerful items too early and to have a feeling of being in a fantasy novel. Any suggestions?

If you let the players choose items, you open the door to at least some potential optimization, and you make items a character building resource rather than a DM resource.

I'd say stick to the random potions & other consumables, but don't give out signature items until you see a need for one. If one of the characters seems too limited or not capable enough in some way, and lagging the other characters, pick or create an item to bring him up to snuff.

Also consider using McGuffin magic items that serve a specific purpose in an adventure, then have limited or no utility or are used up, lost, passed on, or whatever. The weapons you need so everyone in the party can harm a particularly nasty monster at the climax of a story, for instance. Or the item that opens a gateway or penetrates the BBEG's Prismatic Sphere or whatever.
Enabling items.

 

[merwins]

My group does not really have open access to all magic items.
There are no "shops" for magic, at least not where they are.
They might roll across an occasional healing potion.

Items come into the party as gifts, a quest focus, a element of sabotage, or as a "club" item.

A couple of PCs joined a guild which gives them access to teleport circles. Others have access to divination spells because they're part of a different group. One is a member of a thief-like guild that offers one-shot invisibility items and similar items on an as-needed-for-official-business basis.

They've passed up multiple artifacts, once out of ignorance, once out of fear. Traded away an heirloom (with a quasi-curse on it) for a more modest item.

They're smart players, and I balance encounters correctly, so they're not suffering for lack of items. But I know they miss the loot-and-repeat from the old days. Unfortunately, I think that would lead to an arms race I (the world/the game) couldn't sustain.