D&D 5E Why I'm grateful for our current magic item system.

[Sailor Moon]

When I first saw how magic items were handled in this edition, it was like drawing in a huge breath of fresh air.

I am so glad we've left behind the days of the magic item treadmill and all these character builds that were so reliant on specific magic items. I like the fact that the system doesn't expect or require a PC to have magic items if the DM chooses not to bring them in to his game. Personally, I like having magic items be rare, hard to find, and gain a specific reputation. I like that I am able to actually set the level of items floating around in my games. I can add as many or as little as I want and have no problems. I also love the fact that these items have been removed from the PHB and returned to the DMG. I also love how easy it is to customize items in order to make them unique.

I have this idea that I want to try and this system is perfect for it. I wanted to try having items that are not magical, but can gain a certain reputation that can have a specific effect on a specific group of creatures.

For example: You could have a ranger who wields a longsword that has gained a reputation among orcs as "Orcslayer". While in combat, all orcs would gain disadvantage because of the fear they have because of the reputation of this weapon, unless they made a saving throw. It's a nonmagical effect that would generate a type of fear amongst orcs.

 

[Paraxis]

If you are going to house rule and customize things anyway why is this magic item system any better than previous magic item systems?

I mean you could remove magic items from any edition of D&D as long as you changed some things, so how is changing things with this edition making you grateful?

Wouldn't the ranger or his group of allies be the ones that get the reputation as "orc slayers" I mean why is it the weapon? If this is all done in game, wouldn't the rest of the parties gear slay an equivalent amount of orcs? Why are they letting so many orcs live to spread the word of this super cool orc slaying sword? If it is just word of mouth shouldn't the bard start telling stories of the number of giants they slay, I mean it is much better to give giants disadvantage instead of orcs.

 

[Pickles JG]

If you are going to house rule and customize things anyway why is this magic item system any better than previous magic item systems?
.

So those annoying players can't have their fun making up characters they find mechaniclly cool and entertaining.

 

[ExploderWizard]

So those annoying players can't have their fun making up characters they find mechaniclly cool and entertaining.

Why not? There is no reason you can't theorycraft to your hearts content in 5E as in any other edition. Players have been making theoretical uber characters since 1E, why stop now?

 

[Prism]

So those annoying players can't have their fun making up characters they find mechaniclly cool and entertaining.

Why not use the wish list idea from 4e and then you can get something you want? Except that in 5e the magic items often actually do some remotely useful compared to the rather lacklustre stuff in 4e.

I don't know of any edition of D&D where you could include magic items as part of a mechanical build without DM intervention - always seemed a bit pointless to me

 

[Pickles JG]

Well you can actually play them in 3rd or 4th as well or WOW.

My own enthusiasm for this behaviour has waned in the last few years though.

 

[KarinsDad]

So those annoying players can't have their fun making up characters they find mechaniclly cool and entertaining.

You forgot the /sarcasm.

 

[JWO]

I was really disappointed at first when I realised how rare they'd made magic items in 5th, but now I love it! I think it puts a lot more focus on the characters rather than what toys they have and makes magic items a lot more special when they do turn up.

Wouldn't the ranger or his group of allies be the ones that get the reputation as "orc slayers" I mean why is it the weapon? If this is all done in game, wouldn't the rest of the parties gear slay an equivalent amount of orcs? Why are they letting so many orcs live to spread the word of this super cool orc slaying sword? If it is just word of mouth shouldn't the bard start telling stories of the number of giants they slay, I mean it is much better to give giants disadvantage instead of orcs.

Could it not just be a case of simpler races like orcs or goblins being superstitious enough to believe that it was just the weapon itself rather than the person wielding it...

 

[Nebulous]

When I first saw how magic items were handled in this edition, it was like drawing in a huge breath of fresh air.

I am so glad we've left behind the days of the magic item treadmill and all these character builds that were so reliant on specific magic items. I like the fact that the system doesn't expect or require a PC to have magic items if the DM chooses not to bring them in to his game. Personally, I like having magic items be rare, hard to find, and gain a specific reputation. I like that I am able to actually set the level of items floating around in my games. I can add as many or as little as I want and have no problems. I also love the fact that these items have been removed from the PHB and returned to the DMG. I also love how easy it is to customize items in order to make them unique.

I have this idea that I want to try and this system is perfect for it. I wanted to try having items that are not magical, but can gain a certain reputation that can have a specific effect on a specific group of creatures.

For example: You could have a ranger who wields a longsword that has gained a reputation among orcs as "Orcslayer". While in combat, all orcs would gain disadvantage because of the fear they have because of the reputation of this weapon, unless they made a saving throw. It's a nonmagical effect that would generate a type of fear amongst orcs.

I like magic items in 5e too, it encourages me to want to tinker with it and create my own stuff. As for your "reputation" sword, yeah, why not. Doesn't seem broken. It could just as easily be a magical effect too, I don't know if there would be any mechanical difference.

If you are going to house rule and customize things anyway why is this magic item system any better than previous magic item systems?

I mean you could remove magic items from any edition of D&D as long as you changed some things, so how is changing things with this edition making you grateful?

Wouldn't the ranger or his group of allies be the ones that get the reputation as "orc slayers" I mean why is it the weapon? If this is all done in game, wouldn't the rest of the parties gear slay an equivalent amount of orcs? Why are they letting so many orcs live to spread the word of this super cool orc slaying sword? If it is just word of mouth shouldn't the bard start telling stories of the number of giants they slay, I mean it is much better to give giants disadvantage instead of orcs.

I think he's saying, and this is my interpretation, the sword existed long before the PC ever gained it, and in the past it was known to have slain 10,000 foes in the Battle of Orcblood Pass or some such thing.

 

[Shadowdweller00]

Yeah, I think ironically that the old 3.x / Pathfinder item crafting system and magic shop mentality pretty much ensured that the overwhelming majority of magic items would never see use with players. Why? Because the whole WBL thing made it so that there was an OPPORTUNITY COST to using items. The PCs thus had to weigh the value of keeping an item vs selling it so that they could buy or craft something else. As with every other aspect of the game systems, the pricing guidelines were erratic in terms of actual worth. That is, a great number of magic items were priced high or low relative to their real in-game power. Putting the power to pick and choose in the hands of the players created a sort of arms race - meaning that a great number of otherwise fantastic items would never see actual in game use because cost guidelines made other things more cost effective.

Theoretically a DM could change these things around under the old systems. But few bothered.