D&D 5E Magic Item Creation: Which book should contain rules for magic item creation?

[ForeverSlayer]

*: I have to say I'm totally unconvinced, these days, about "magic items as rewards". Rewards for whom? The character? Why should the character be specifically rewarded, exactly? For the player? What kind of a warped "reward" is having an imaginary thing that you can't take out of the game? Is it supposed to be some sort of "Badge of 1337ness" to have a character who has a +2 sword, or something? Good grief.

*just shakes head sadly*

 

[Elf Witch]

I would like to see it in a separate book on magic.

Barring that I think it belongs in the DMG. The reason for this is not that players don't have access to DMGs but it sends the subtle message that this is DM territory. I have run into an issue, and I know several other DMs who have to, with younger players who feel that everything in the PHB is fair game and tend to get very argumentative or pissy when you don't allow things that they view as being in the player purview.

 

[Warskull]

I am not sure magic item creation is entirely appropriate for Next. There seems to be a push to increase the rarity of magical items and item creation tends to work against that. Short rests allowing self-healing reduce the need for health potions and wands.

The potions and wands presented in the playtest seems to indicate they are breaking away from "this is a potion of spell X."

 

[MichaelSomething]

Both books!

The PHB could contain item making rules but stipulate that the DM may add hidden effects and such.

The DMG could then contain all sorts of extra item making rules that can ummm, "add excitement" to the game!

 

[howandwhy99]

Magical Effects!

Not everything magical comes from an object. Creatures are magical. Creatures can create magic (spells). Places can be magical. A creature's construction can be magical too, but they are all part of the magic system.

For me, magic systems are suggestions for the DM. So definitely in that big book of theirs. Players discover the wonder of magic through play.

 

[Balesir]

*just shakes head sadly*

Hey, if you like +2 swords as a reward, I have an imaginary bridge I could sell you really cheap!

 

[Balesir]

Magical Effects!

Not everything magical comes from an object. Creatures are magical. Creatures can create magic (spells). Places can be magical. A creature's construction can be magical too, but they are all part of the magic system.

For me, magic systems are suggestions for the DM. So definitely in that big book of theirs. Players discover the wonder of magic through play.

I don't understand - what are PC magic-users (wizards)? Are they "honorary DMs", or do they just have no idea what they are doing?

Supplementary question: in a magical world, what sets "magic" apart from "not magic"? Does it have some sort of special designer label? That might explain a lot...

 

[pemerton]

I'm totally unconvinced, these days, about "magic items as rewards". Rewards for whom? The character? Why should the character be specifically rewarded, exactly? For the player? What kind of a warped "reward" is having an imaginary thing that you can't take out of the game? Is it supposed to be some sort of "Badge of 1337ness" to have a character who has a +2 sword, or something? Good grief.

*just shakes head sadly*

I wasn't going to express my agreement with Balesir until I saw ForeverSlayer's reply.

I don't see that it makes much sense to reward the character either. But as far as the player is concerned, unless you're playing a very particular sort of style in which players determine their own challenges (eg Gygaxian megadungeon), than the "reward" for finding a magic item is making the game easier, which often equates to making it less interesting. Not much of a reward, in my book!

 

[Jeff Carlsen]

I voted for the DMG, but it's a little more nuanced than that. Some rules, like for the creation of potions and other common magic items, seem like they belong with the downtime mechanics, which could be in the PHB. The rest belong wherever magic items are, which is probably the DMG.

 

[Umbran]

I don't see that it makes much sense to reward the character either.

You go to work each day, and you receive rewards for that (a paycheck) right? You figure our fictional characters will (or even could) continue in their fictional world if they were never given rewards for actions taken? How, pray tell, do they buy food to eat? So, you must, occasionally, reward the character, or they will starve (unless your game happens to have no rules requiring that characters eat, I suppose...) .

In general, in the fiction - only severely disturbed individuals continue on in pain, strife and risk to life and limb without *some* reward. Suitable rewards will differ, of course. But, if they never get anything for their efforts, they will eventually stop making an effort. That leads to a boring game.

From there, it is just a bit of human psychology - the character is the player's self-insertion icon. Rewarding the character is rewarding the player, by extension.