D&D 5E Please help out some new GM's with a few questions

ElterAgo said:

When I said the "total value of gear and wealth" I meant that to include the magic items.

From what the one guy stated about the amount of magic items their group has, I would say we are well behind that level. I think each character has 1 magic item. I would say they are mostly better than just a +1 item. I think 1 PC has 2 items, but they are pretty niche use. then there are a few scrolls and several healing potions. We've mostly just been going with what is stated within the written adventures we have been using. Maybe we need to bump that up a bit.

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It sounds like the amount you have is about right. The example earlier was a lot of items for that level of party.
A lot can depend on the specific items though. - Are the items that each character have useful for their role in the group? Do the martial types have magical weapons for example?

It isn't about base combat power with the wizard. It is about the versatility he was expecting as wizard. The group found out an expected opponent was vulnerable to (iirc) electricity. He didn't have any electricity spells. We've had a number of occasions where disguise self or locate object (or some other non-combat utility spell) would have been useful. If he's just going to have the same few spells all the time, he might as well have been a sorcerer and not worry about the book at all.

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Just from the ones they get for free, the Wizard should have 16 spells at 6th level in their spellbook, and 10ish prepared. A Sorceror will have 7.
What sort of spells did the wizard pick and tends to prepare, that they feel that they don't have enough utility?
Remember that if the Wizard has a Ritual spell in their spellbook, they can cast it without needing to prepare it or using a slot by taking the extra time.

Stormonu said:

Unlike 3E & 4E, 5E doesn't concern itself with "appropriate wealth" - that's left up to the DM. However, with my experience I'd say at about that level it's likely everyone should have at least one +1 weapon (perhaps the "core" fighter of the group having a +2), armor with a magic value of +1 and a handful of scrolls, potions and at least one minor miscellaneous item (like a bag of tricks, ring of resistance or somesuch).

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I disagree with this. Depending on the style of game your running of course, but this is way to much magic for my taste and I almost never give out magic armor.

ElterAgo said:

1) PC's are just shy of 6th level. Approximately what total value of gear and wealth is normal for that point? I don't mind if they are a little low or high. But I don't want them incapable of completing the written adventures or walking through with no challenge.

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On Page 38 (DMG), there is a chart - starting characters at a higher level. It isn't -exactly- what you're looking for, but it'll be a good guideline. Otherwise, I'd just recommend basing it off of your party's makeup. If you don't have a healer-heavy character, in example, give them some more healing potions. If you have more than 1 healer, don't worry about defensive items as much as offensive items.

5E was intentionally balanced so that magic items are in no way necessary. So you get to decide if you want magic items to be wonderfully rare items, each with its own story, or just something laying around in pirate treasure dens (and wonder why the pirate wasn't using it himself). Whatever you decide to give as treasure, balance it to your own capability to make challenging encounters.

ElterAgo said:

2) Party has a wizard. Getting spells for his spellbook is incredibly cost prohibitive. At least if we are reading it correctly, he has to by a spell scroll and then spend almost that same amount again just to copy it into his book. Right now, he would rather just stay with the free ones he gets, rather than blowing all his money on just a few 1st level spells. Are we reading this wrong or is there a cheaper way to do this? He's about ready to chuck the whole wizard schtick as nearly hopeless.

3) Related to the above, is there a 'usual' cost for spells scrolls or for getting someone to teach you a spell? Can a cleric teach a spell to a wizard if the spell is on both of their spell lists? I'm trying to find ways to help this guy out.

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I'm assuming this is on top of the two free spells he gets at every character level - he's just wanting more than that. As a suggestion, Wizards can copy spells from each other's spellbooks. You can always have your Wizard encounter a fellow and they swap spellbooks, copying spells. There's still the transcribing price, as [MENTION=83242]dave2008[/MENTION] indicated, but no cost to buy individual scrolls. Be reasonable with how many spells are available that your Wizard doesn't already know, and do this every 3 or so levels so he doesn't need to spend his money on getting scrolls if your DMs aren't assigning enough wealth per adventure.

ElterAgo said:

4) Unless we are missing it, there is no rule for a mechanical benefit to having an opponent surrounded. Is that correct? Someone can defend against one attacker just as well as against 8 attackers? That just doesn't seem right.

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The optional Flanking rule appears on page 251(DMG). I found it a bit overpowered to grant advantage just from flanking (or even extending that to gang up as some systems call it), so our group just has a flanked target's AC reduced by 2. That makes it so that ranged combatants get the reward of his allies flanking the foe, and it's not as strong as Advantage.

ElterAgo said:

5) Not a rules question, just advice. The party is getting ready to rescue/recover an infant creature or egg of something. I want it to end up as initially a sort of mascot for the city. And eventually provide the city with a significant but not overwhelming advantage. But I want this to happen over the course of the campaign, so something like a dragon that takes centuries to grow up won't really work. Do you have another suggestion for a creature?

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Yeah I got nothing that's going to top [MENTION=83242]dave2008[/MENTION] 's Phoenix idea haha.

I have a question for you: are you having fun? Because if you are, you're doing it right.

Rotating DMs can be tough to juggle. Some DMs give out tons of gold and other a lot of magic, while you may think that magic is more rare. Have fun and it all averages out as everyone gets more experience being the DM. I tend to give out more magic than perhaps what the DMG suggests. I do not give out too much armor, except maybe some light armor and I created bracers of +3 for later levels. I tend to give out +0 weapons that can do something cool like cast a spell 1/rest or return when thrown over the plain +1. The PCs do not need the +1 to be viable and making a cool item with flavor allows it to last linger in the campaign before wanting to trade it in.

Spells can be as hard to come by as you allow. If there is only one wizard in the group, then he gets all the wizard stuff. The others tend to hand him the scrolls and wands and such, 5e allows others to use some of the wands, but a wizard low on options should get the wand of lightning bolts if it comes around. I have been in groups where getting new spells for the wizard is a party cost like resurrection. Each share of gold is reduces to buy spells so the whole burden does not fall to the mage. I had a mage buy fly over fireball so he could get away if needed and all the times the other players would ask him to cast fireball he would say he cannot afford it. After enough times of being bead up, they kicked in for it.

A cool idea for a city guard would be a sphinx. A mission to visit the mother of one who dies giving birth, or needs to protect the infant somehow and gives the baby to the PCs. Eventually the city gains wealth and fame through pilgrims coming to visit and hope to the sphinx.

1) As multiple people have stated, gear really doesn't matter unless you are talking about magic items. At that point it is really up to a DM/Group as to how much magic they want to use in the campaign. High magic campaigns should maybe use the rules for purchasing magic items in Xanathar's Guide. Either way, if you ever feel the party is not being challenged enough by encounters just add more HP to the enemies. Flavor to taste as they say.

2/3) Wizards are more flexible in their spell allotment, both in terms of spells available and number of spells. This will never be so flexible that the Wizard will always have the right spell for everything. If you want to adjust that (more of a high magic campaign) you can have them find more scrolls or spellbooks, or give them the opportunity to get a wand of something they find useful. One thing to remind the wizard of, they can cast any spell in their book that has the ritual tag without having it prepared at the cost of time. Loading up on rituals can make them very flexible indeed.

4) Aside from the optional rules in the DMs guide, do not forget that Rogues take special advantage at having their enemy engaged with their friend/s. If this is something the party really wants, they can always multi-class into rogue as well.

*One thing the rules do not do a good job of telling players is that at some point you (as a group) have to set the sliders for your game. How magic intensive, how lethal, how narrative/simulation do you all want your game to be? These things are often discussed during a special pre-session before a campaign officially begins (refereed to sometimes as a session-0). Once you have all set your expectations, many of the questions that come up will be a lot easier to adjudicate.

For emphasis, I will repeat that the default balancing of the game does not assume that the PCs have any magic items. In my game, I have 7 PCs, all just shy of level 7. Amongst them, they have three magical weapons (one +2, one +1, one javelin of lightning, which is +0), another 10 or so nonconsumable items that are useful (most situationally), but not terribly powerful, and two items that are technically magical, but are actually plot devices. In addition, they've probably found a dozen or so scrolls and potions over the course of their adventures, and after doing an appropriate number of favors for the local temple have been able to purchase healing potions there.

Be aware that armor or a shield that grants increased AC (+1, +2, etc.) is very potent in 5e. Personally, I avoid them. IMO, armor that has other magical properties instead is a better choice - for instance, resistance to a particular damage type, or advantage on certain saves.

Also to repeat: it is intended that a wizard be able to operate adequately with the number of spells they get just by leveling. That said, a scroll as treasure now and then is an appropriate treat. In my game, because the players had not played for many, many years (and so, none had played 5e before), I let the casters redo their spell selections several times during the first few levels.

No, I would not allow a cleric to teach a wizard a spell. IMO, their spells may do the same things, but the fictional mechanics (whatever they are) are surely vastly different.

I give a penalty of -1 to AC if the target is flanked. (Actually, it's a little different than that, but that's close enough.) As others have noted, a creature outnumbered 8:1 is not going to last long anyway. Which brings up a tangentially related point: solo monsters really, really suck in 5e. If you have 8 PCs, you really need a minimum of 4 or 5 monsters to have an interesting combat (fewer if one or more has Legendary actions).

ElterAgo said:

1) PC's are just shy of 6th level. Approximately what total value of gear and wealth is normal for that point? I don't mind if they are a little low or high. But I don't want them incapable of completing the written adventures or walking through with no challenge.

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Enough gold to get any mundane equipment (plate, etc.) I don't have an exact number.

In terms of magic, characters should have several common consumables, and an uncommon magic item. At this point I would not expect any rare items, but it's possible one for the whole party. Not all of the uncommon will be "targetted" - some might be "the right" weapon or armor for someone who focuses on that, others will be various wondrous items.

FireLance did an analysis based on the numbers ending with a potential distribution:

FireLance said:

To translate this into a very even distribution of magic items over all 20 levels, I would probably go with the following approach:
1 common consumable every level from 1 to 5.
1 uncommon consumable every level from 6 to 10.
1 rare consumable every level from 11 to 15.
1 very rare consumable every level from 16 to 19.
1 legendary consumable at level 20.
1 uncommon permanent item at level 4, and another at level 7.
1 rare permanent item at level 10 and another at level 13.
1 very rare permanent item at level 16.
1 legendary permanent item at level 19.

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From http://www.enworld.org/forum/showth...-of-quot-Typical-quot-Magic-Item-Distribution

ElterAgo said:

2) Party has a wizard. Getting spells for his spellbook is incredibly cost prohibitive. At least if we are reading it correctly, he has to by a spell scroll and then spend almost that same amount again just to copy it into his book. Right now, he would rather just stay with the free ones he gets, rather than blowing all his money on just a few 1st level spells. Are we reading this wrong or is there a cheaper way to do this? He's about ready to chuck the whole wizard schtick as nearly hopeless.

3) Related to the above, is there a 'usual' cost for spells scrolls or for getting someone to teach you a spell? Can a cleric teach a spell to a wizard if the spell is on both of their spell lists? I'm trying to find ways to help this guy out.

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What about spell books and scrolls off defeated opponents? Part of this is those being found as treasure.

Clerics can't teach their spells to wizards.

ElterAgo said:

4) Unless we are missing it, there is no rule for a mechanical benefit to having an opponent surrounded. Is that correct? Someone can defend against one attacker just as well as against 8 attackers? That just doesn't seem right.

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This is correct, though any of those 8 could be using the help action for an allies instead.

There is a flanking variant rule to grant advantage, but both my experience and a consensus of other DMs here who have tried it is that it makes getting advantage too trivial and doesn't work well with the rest of the system.

ElterAgo said:

5) Not a rules question, just advice. The party is getting ready to rescue/recover an infant creature or egg of something. I want it to end up as initially a sort of mascot for the city. And eventually provide the city with a significant but not overwhelming advantage. But I want this to happen over the course of the campaign, so something like a dragon that takes centuries to grow up won't really work. Do you have another suggestion for a creature?

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I'd think something like a griffin, hippogrif or pegasus. It's not hugely powerful in itself, but it can act as a flying intelligent mount. Also has the fun bits of aerial scouting to let the town know bad things are coming, getting out a message looking for help, etc.

Depending on how "high magic" your world, that might be too pedestrian though. A unicorn? They have lair effects and legendary actions.

1) As you can tell, few people have specific answers because 5e isn't as focused on what to do with gold as previous editions are. But I know how helpful it can be for new DMs to have *something* to hold onto as a guide. You'll find this thread helpful: http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?402507-Deconstructing-5e-Typical-Wealth-by-Level#ixzz3OeMcPyBm

2) This way of doing things is one of D&D's sacred cows, something that's survived through every edition. It's just meant to add more friction to the wizard's powerful ability to have a huge list of spells at their disposal. The game provides two ways to slow this down: actually finding the spells and then paying to scribe them. You can control the rate at which the wizard gains spells with the first option (availability), but be ready to find other ways to put brakes on spell acquisition. Imagine that your wizard joins a guild of other wizards. Would it be unreasonable for the guild to maintain a library of spells for its members? If not, then suddenly your player will ask to transfer every one of those spells into their spellbook. There's no gold cost, so they just need time. Even if they don't want to copy the whole guild library, they could cherry pick the ones they want and suddenly their character became more powerful with no risk. Eventually you might find that you're putting other limitations on how quickly or often a wizard can add spells to their book in the absence of gold. But why not go back to gold as the limitation?

Ultimately, if your group thinks the cost is too high, then cut it in half.

3) For the cost of scrolls, use the rules for Crafting A Magic Item in the DMG and assume that a spell scroll is being made. I'd probably use the same figures as a guideline for the fee to teach the spell. I wouldn't allow clerics to teach spells to wizards. Divine magic isn't the same as arcane. The cleric wouldn't know the right arcane words and gestures to make the spell work; they'd be using words and gestures that are specific to their deity.

4) There are optional rules that give a bonus to flanking in Chapter 8 of the DMG. It's a way to generate advantage on attacks, which is one way that 5e can model the difficulty of defending against an attack. In previous editions, flanking provided a smaller benefit than 5e's advantage bonus. Getting advantage in 5e is a big deal. Be careful with it, since flanking also works against the PCs, something that players don't often think about.

5) I'd lean towards some sort of monstrosity, something that's not very intelligent or evil, but smart enough to have a rudimentary personality and the ability to follow commands. Griffon's a great suggestion

The starting wealth by Tier tables in the DMG are good; I recommend the High Magic settings if you are running a 3e-style world like Paizo's Golarion, or Medium Magic for the 5e Forgotten Realms campaigns.

Generally I give 5th level PCs one Uncommon item from a list of 12-20.