D&D 5E Magic Items Found vs Wants

[Zardnaar]

How do people deal with magic items? I lean a bit more towards old school. You use what you find.

Others lean more towards custom items towards what the players want.

The second approach leans heavily towards 3E and 4E.

I also tend to avoid putting in things like magical hand crossbows. I'll put them in if an adventure has them.

I'll also use random magic items on occasion. At level 9 thePCs have a rod of lordly might due to this via killing a adult blue dragon.

So how does this work in practice? I don't tend to worry to much on the rarity of an item. That rod of lordly might is far less disruptive than a +2 hand crossbow.

A lot of rogues use rapiers. I'm doing an Egyptian themed game, probably not a lot of rapiers in this sort of game.

Now some are thinking Zards a bastard he's screwing the rogue player over. Mr Rogue however is wielding a +1 keen shortsword (3.5), and a custom dagger of venom where they can add poison as a bonus action a'la thief quick hands ability. They also found some poison sellers where he managed to buy a dose of purple worm venom, wyvern poison and as much serpent poison he could afford.

The fighter/warlock is using the rod of lordly might. He is Duelist style sword and board. It's high on the powercurve sure but less than say a +1 or 2 great weapon married with the feat. Said character has +1 full plate as well which grants resistance and advantage to dragon breath. Most if the time it's just +1 armor. They all have Dragonlances as well which are just dragon Slayer Lance's and spears.

The final item I'll use as an example is the monks spear. It's a +1 shocking spear that 1/long rest can fire a lightning bolt. The spear and rogues shortsword turned up fairly early in the campaign.

So to powerful IDK but the abilities I put on equipment aren't on the best items in the game. The Rogue is dealing damage similar to a rapier anyway just deals magic damage and crits on 19-20.

In older editions with more ways to deal with magic items I might be more inclined to hand out better equipment.

 

[prabe]

I usually roll on the tables in the DMG. I have a bunch of third-party/homebrew stuff, and I roll to see if I'm replacing an item from the DMG's table with something homebrew. I try to make the items make at lest a little sense in the context of the adventure, but I don't worry as much about giving the characters what they want/need. I do sometimes re-roll if an item is a duplicate of something that doesn't seem as though it should be all that common.

I'm in the process of working out a random weapons table for 5E, because making the weapons make sense is ... hard, and I'm happy to consult the oracle (the dice) at least for ideas.

 

[RSIxidor]

The fiction should support whether a magic item is available or found.

I've played in games where the exact magic item you want or something very similar is available at request. Those can be fun, but the existence of those items sometimes feels contrary to the world's fiction and I hate when that happens.

At the same time, it's nice for options to be available that fit into what the characters in the game would use. A rogue switching from a mundane rapier to a magical shortsword is usually an upgrade. A party that has no heroes that would use bows finding a magic bow usually ends up with that bow never being used. I personally don't find that fun as a DM.

Reasons for magic items to be in unusual places can be figured out in the fiction, but there are certainly limits to what's believable. A magic weapon being found in a goblin treasure trove might be unusual (because why weren't they using it?), but if it's big enough that they couldn't use it well, then it makes sense that they might throw it in with the money and other treasure they've raided. Kobolds choosing to keep a spellbook seems a bit ridiculous, but maybe it was found in a pile of refuse, or perhaps a kobold shaman is trying to figure out how other magic works and its in with their things. Cursed items are easy enough to plop anywhere. The monsters didn't use it because one of their friends had something bad happen to them when they used it.

I do like to make up new magic items that are themed to a PC, but I don't do this a lot. Usually it gives them a feature that complements their other features. Along the same lines, I've thought about making a setting where after a heroic deed is accomplished, an item just comes into being to sort of represent the effort that was put forth, and tie that to the deed in some way.

 

[Shiroiken]

I hand out whatever magic items make sense in the world (or were in the adventure). The only exception to this, is that I will never, ever give out a +x shield, because I've found they break BA too much. If the player's are not interested in an item they've found, they can attempt to find someone to barter for a more useful magic item (I don't have magic item shops, so this replaces that need). I've also seen the party willingly give up multiple items for an item they felt was necessary.

 

[Zardnaar]

I hand out whatever magic items make sense in the world (or were in the adventure). The only exception to this, is that I will never, ever give out a +x shield, because I've found they break BA too much. If the player's are not interested in an item they've found, they can attempt to find someone to barter for a more useful magic item (I don't have magic item shops, so this replaces that need). I've also seen the party willingly give up multiple items for an item they felt was necessary.

I'm noticing PC AC is fairly static and once monsters get in the +10-12 to hit range PCs can do with an AC boost.

A magic sheild over magic armor at least you know who will get it. I've had parties with passive players which means they either give or let one player have everything.

So only player has magic armor, shield, weapon AC 22 or whatever and the other player is AC 18 or whatever.

Our Monk was in claim everything mode last week but it would have been stacking to much damage on one PC.

Fighter ended up with the rod of lordly might which makes a very good battering ram for strength based PCs and was used for that purpose this week twice.

 

[tetrasodium]

How do people deal with magic items? I lean a bit more towards old school. You use what you find.

Others lean more towards custom items towards what the players want.

The second approach leans heavily towards 3E and 4E.

I also tend to avoid putting in things like magical hand crossbows. I'll put them in if an adventure has them.

I'll also use random magic items on occasion. At level 9 thePCs have a rod of lordly might due to this via killing a adult blue dragon.

So how does this work in practice? I don't tend to worry to much on the rarity of an item. That rod of lordly might is far less disruptive than a +2 hand crossbow.

A lot of rogues use rapiers. I'm doing an Egyptian themed game, probably not a lot of rapiers in this sort of game.

Now some are thinking Zards a bastard he's screwing the rogue player over. Mr Rogue however is wielding a +1 keen shortsword (3.5), and a custom dagger of venom where they can add poison as a bonus action a'la thief quick hands ability. They also found some poison sellers where he managed to buy a dose of purple worm venom, wyvern poison and as much serpent poison he could afford.

The fighter/warlock is using the rod of lordly might. He is Duelist style sword and board. It's high on the powercurve sure but less than say a +1 or 2 great weapon married with the feat. Said character has +1 full plate as well which grants resistance and advantage to dragon breath. Most if the time it's just +1 armor. They all have Dragonlances as well which are just dragon Slayer Lance's and spears.

The final item I'll use as an example is the monks spear. It's a +1 shocking spear that 1/long rest can fire a lightning bolt. The spear and rogues shortsword turned up fairly early in the campaign.

So to powerful IDK but the abilities I put on equipment aren't on the best items in the game. The Rogue is dealing damage similar to a rapier anyway just deals magic damage and crits on 19-20.

In older editions with more ways to deal with magic items I might be more inclined to hand out better equipment.

I prefer to make custom items, but 5e makes that needlessly difficult by how much has been overly simplified (weapons & armor especially)

 

[Zardnaar]

I prefer to make custom items, but 5e makes that needlessly difficult by how much has been overly simplified (weapons & armor especially)

By most of my stuff is customized or lifted from 3.5.

When players can't buy it putting in a basic 3.5 weapon works well enough. Plus 1 or 2 weapon with a d6 elemental rider works well enough.

 

[tetrasodium]

By most of my stuff is customized or lifted from 3.5.

When players can't buy it putting in a basic 3.5 weapon works well enough. Plus 1 or 2 weapon with a d6 elemental rider works well enough.

Yea it does, but there is nothing else to tweak other than directly improving it directly as a hurt stick in ways that are objectively better Prior versions had subjective weapon qualities beyond +x & dice addition/changes

 

[J-H]

I randomly rolled for most of the loot in my Castlevania campaign, but also put some custom items in, usually with boss monsters or areas where they made sense. The party ended up with a Rod of the Pact Keeper 2 hours into the first session. There is no Warlock in the party. If someone's character dies (I have yet to kill one), it's available. The loot is not generally built around them... although I did switch a few pre-rolled weapons around when I realized that i had 15 dex weapons, 13 regular weapons, and only 4 great weapons in the entire campaign (2 of which were lances).

My party comp is a bit weird though... 6 players and not a single heavy-armor wearer. The life cleric can, but she's sticking with that (randomly rolled, first session) Adamantine Splint Mail. 2-3 points of AC less, but it's stopped quite a few crits.

 

[Zardnaar]

Yea it does, but there is nothing else to tweak other than directly improving it directly as a hurt stick in ways that are objectively better Prior versions had subjective weapon qualities beyond +x & dice addition/changes

I still put in a few if them or weapon finesse spears etc.

The rogue had a keen weapon for example, the shocking spear can fire a lightning bolt.

You see less if them though and can only attune 3.

I think you could use the guts if 5E and make a OSR/ 3.5 clone adding in some if the stuff they stripped out. Scary Dragons come to mind.