D&D 5E Magic Item Slots in D&D Next

[malkav666]

Thats a tough one. I did not answer your poll OP. But not because I did not see an answer that suited me. Rather I liked many of the options in the poll. I don't really have a problem with magical items of any sort in any version of D&D. Slots, no slots, unique items, whatever. Im down. I like them in a box with a fox.

What I do have a problem with is twofold:

1. I do not like the system to rigorously enforce the need of bonuses from magical items as a baseline. magical items aren't really magical at all if you are assumed to have an X amount of bonus from them at a given level or an x amount of them at a given point. I would prefer a game that I can easily just not have magical items at all if I choose to. That was a major 4e sticking point for me. Inherent bonuses didn't really make it better for me either. I would prefer a no magic item baseline and the option to add them.

2. I don't like a game where magic items are easily crafted or buyable. The 3e crafting rules and to a greater extent the PF crafting rules don't sit well with me.PF is my system of choice and I don't use the item creation rules as presented. I do let my players craft items but I use a homebrew system that involves a much more serious investment from players wishing to craft magic. Usually it involves a series of quests just to get the reagents get started. But in return I don't make them take feats to do so. I also don't have magic marts If magic is available and not much is, it is randomly generated and doesn't sell out and restock very often if at all.

It may seem from my two sticking points that i don't seem to even like magic items. But that is not the case. I LOVE including them in games. I make themed magic items and spend a good bit of time fleshing them out storywise, and have a great time doing it. I just want them to be special. I don't ever want my players to not be happy about finding a magic sword because its bonus is not high enough or to carry stacks of curing consumables to power through the encounters just for paying their healbot tax.

I want cool items and I want finding one to be a special moment. What I hope for in 5e is a divorce from plused magic items and healing consumables being used to set the difficulty of all encounters. Its not a dealbreaker if I don't get it. D&D and all the 3pp flavors of it have never been able to give me that and I still manage to make it work and have a good time. But it would still be nice to see the reliance knob turned down and the coolness knob turned up in a new edition.

I don't really care how the bookkeeping is done. All of the options presented in the poll could work for me if done right.


love,

malkav

 

[Incenjucar]

I would really love to see magic items stick to being new features or powers, rather than static bonuses or quasi-feats.

 

[Tallifer]

Perhaps find some other way to limit the Christmas tree effect. Item slots are somewhat too gamist for me, even though I am quite a gamist. However, I want balance and reasonable gear templates for characters, and it may be that item slots are the best and simplest mechanical method.

After all refluffing can solve all the simulationist problems. Mechanically your character is limited to two rings, one pair of gloves and one pair of bracers or a shield: however those five items could be refluffed as five charms on a charm bracelet. Just not which "slots" those five charms are using up.

 

[FireLance]

I like 4E slots well enough. Neck slot needs to stop being the NAD bonus slot though. It just feels tacked on.

If it helps, this playtest report indicates that 5e will no longer have non-AC defenses, at least in the basic game. Instead, all saving throws are based on ability scores.

 

[Incenjucar]

If it helps, this playtest report indicates that 5e will no longer have non-AC defenses, at least in the basic game. Instead, all saving throws are based on ability scores.

That's still a NAD, you just switch who rolls for it.

 

[BobTheNob]

Perhaps find some other way to limit the Christmas tree effect. Item slots are somewhat too gamist for me, even though I am quite a gamist. However, I want balance and reasonable gear templates for characters, and it may be that item slots are the best and simplest mechanical method.

After all refluffing can solve all the simulationist problems. Mechanically your character is limited to two rings, one pair of gloves and one pair of bracers or a shield: however those five items could be refluffed as five charms on a charm bracelet. Just not which "slots" those five charms are using up.

Christmas Tree...I like that

Im not so fussed about slots. I just want to see alot less items with alot more flavor. Im sick of +x weapons. I want a magic item to have a history, to have interactions with the world, to react to your character and contribute to what defines him.

I say less items with more significance, after that slots are irrelevant.

 

[FireLance]

That's still a NAD, you just switch who rolls for it.

If you roll for it at all. I could be reading too much into the playtest report about the wizard setting the DC for her spells, but if it works like the hints we've been getting about the skill system (auto-fail/roll for it/auto-succeed), spells might just work without the need for rolling if whatever ability score you use to resist it is too low.

 

[Incenjucar]

If you roll for it at all. I could be reading too much into the playtest report about the wizard setting the DC for her spells, but if it works like the hints we've been getting about the skill system (auto-fail/roll for it/auto-succeed), spells might just work without the need for rolling if whatever ability score you use to resist it is too low.

That's still the same thing.

A defense is just a numerical barrier to the general pass/fail mechanic of d20. It doesn't matter if it always works, if it has variables, or who determine the variables. I'm not saying that magic items will alter your NADs, but they'll exist in some form or another in the game, no matter what they name them, so there's a solid chance you'll end up with items that give a +1 bonus to saves vs. wands or whatever.

 

[Ichneumon]

I'd like to have four zones: neck/head, torso and back, arms and hands, then waist, legs and feet.

You can wear what you want so long as no items physically share space, and you have no more than two rings, or one necklace/pendant. However, items in the same zone can never stack bonuses to the same value (e.g. Intelligence skill checks, or your attack roll).

Perhaps a PC who wears magic items in multiple zones radiates magic more strongly than a PC who minimizes the zones that their items are worn in. This shouldn't hurt them per se, but it would make it much easier for certain monsters, and foes with scrying, to find them. There could also be monsters who benefit from strong magic fields, or traps that get triggered by them.

 

[Incenjucar]

It might be easier to just toss aside slots based on position and replace them with slots based on effect type. You may have to transfer for Primary Defense boots to a belt so you can wear your Secondary Movement slot boots...