D&D 5E When should our warriors see their first +1 longswords?

[Giltonio_Santos]

I know the answer in D&D Next is pretty much whenever the DM wants the sword to come by, but I still want to hear opinions on the matter. No poll, because I don't want objective data, I want to read someone else's thoughts on the subject.

In my own playtest campaign, healing potions have appeared almost from level 1, and I decided that they should be easy to craft with the right tools, even for non-magical characters. Other items, though, are rarer, but I decided to include a +1 longsword in a treasure they found by level 3. At first, it was going to be only a sword of fine craft, but I decided to give it the magical bonus as a way to make it a more interesting addition in the long run.

I know that some published adventurers include magic weapons that a level 1 character can find, but I believe that would be too early for my own taste. What are your thoughts on the matter?

 

[the Jester]

I'm really big on letting the pcs choose their reward level by choosing their risk level. If the pcs want to go try to slay the bandit chief and steal his infamous flaming sword even though they are only first level, that's fine- it's far more dangerous than attacking a cellar's worth of giant rats, but there is better treasure. OTOH there might also be a group that sticks to giant rats up to 7th or 8th level, even though they only earn copper and silver for doing it- after all, there's virtually no risk that way. Nobody dies!

So, it depends entirely on what they do.

 

[Li Shenron]

Somewhere between 'since the day they are born' to 'never', including the extremes.

If you want an answer related to published adventures, I'll settle for never.

 

[GMMichael]

I know the answer in D&D Next is pretty much whenever the DM wants the sword to come by, but I still want to hear opinions on the matter. No poll, because I don't want objective data, I want to read someone else's thoughts on the subject.

+1 doesn't amount to being very magical. It's little more than a touch of good luck. So ask yourself: how many really-lucky swords are lying around out there? (e.g. a famous, near-undefeated general carried a short sword at his side at all times. Maybe some of his puissance transferred to the sword?)

Also, your answer doesn't need to depend on levels at all. Give your 1st level characters a +5 sword to deal with. Sure, they'll use it to decapitate some enemies. But wouldn't that just draw the attention of even nastier enemies?

Plot-lines galore.

 

[Ashkelon]

Never. +1 weapons are boring. They also throw the math of the game off. They also hinder roleplay with warriors constantly changing out their trusty blade which turns D&D into an MMO style loot grab.

 

[Plaguescarred]

Never. In my campaign magic items are rare enought that when i give PCs a magic weapon or armor, i try to make sure it possess interesting powers along with numerical plus...

More seriously though, regarding a time table, by level 3 IMO. Because level 1-2 goes by really fast in D&D Next (1-2 session each), finding a magic weapon before level 4 feels right to me.

 

[Jacob Marley]

Short answer: Whenever it comes up on the random treasure table.

 

[Johnny Champion]

As the players in my Next campaign approach 8th level, their To Hit modifiers have gotten out of control from my perspective.

It is not uncommon for a fighter to have a +10 To Hit (+5 Strength Mod, +3 Proficiency,+2 Magic Weapon). They hit just about everything and get 2 attacks per round, and as a Great Weapon Fighter get critical hits on natural '19-20', then on the chance they miss, they score a 5hp of damage on a miss. They deal 8HP of damage at a minimum on a hit.

Since the Bestiary armor classes of the most powerful can't compete against these numbers, I adjust monster armor classes significantly. But looking back, maybe the +2 sword wasn't necessary at all. I wonder how the final product handles the math.

 

[Sword of Spirit]

Never. +1 weapons are boring. They also throw the math of the game off. They also hinder roleplay with warriors constantly changing out their trusty blade which turns D&D into an MMO style loot grab.

Have you taken a look at the Magic Item Details in the packet? I find it can make +1 weapons extremely interesting without needing to fill them with all sorts of special powers.

As to the original question, I (like others) think it should vary a lot. As far as going for a traditional D&D feel, I'd probably say a warrior should be likely to be toting a +1 sword at anywhere from 4-7th level on average, and shouldn't be expecting anything better until high level.

 

[Agamon]

Have you taken a look at the Magic Item Details in the packet? I find it can make +1 weapons extremely interesting without needing to fill them with all sorts of special powers.

Exactly. I like what they've done with magic items with the new maths. Anything higher than +1 is pretty rare, but the variety in powers on all those +1 swords is interesting.