D&D 5E Is a magic weapon worth a feat?


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Vaalingrade

Legend
Magic items aren't good enough to waste how few feats you get on them.

On the other hand, feats are so character specific that you might not have a feat to spend the slot on and ASIS are boring, so sure.
 

Stormonu

Legend
A +1 weapon would be around equivalent to a ASI of +2 Str. A +1 ranged weapon and a +1 armor/shield be about equivalent to an ASI of +2 Dex. More so if the items had advantageous quirks associated with it.

A scroll that regenerates the (1st level) spell upon it every morning would be close to the Magic Initiate feat. Same for a wand or miscellaneous item that replicates a low-level spell effect.

Overall, I think a permanent magic item would work as a feat, or you could even flavor a feat as a magic item.
 


Mort

Legend
Supporter
I think you could balance it to work at whatever level but,

2 trickier issues:

1. Magic items, especially weapons, can get obsolete as levels increase - though this is slightly less an issue in 5e (with the flatter progression). So you might be better served with an interesting item that does something cool vs. a plussed item.

2. Magic items are transitory and get lost, stolen, broken. This world also have to be accounted for
 
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ART!

Deluxe Unhuman
As an alternative, you could grant enchantments to a piece of equipment a character already has - maybe with a feat, but maybe boons would be better? In many stories, weapons are magical or otherwise special because of the deeds done with them, not necessarily because of how they were made.
 


Laurefindel

Legend
A +1 weapon is equivalent to your ASI.
... for the purpose of hitting and damage. A +2 in an ability score usually improves other things as well.

As for the OP, if I spent an ASI on a magic item, I'd expect my companions to do the same (otherwise I'll cry) and I expect it to be permanently attributed to my character without shenanigans like loosing it, breaking it, having it stolen, or getting stuck with it despite it being obsolete at this point, etc.
 
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Snarf Zagyg

Notorious Liquefactionist
I'm trying to see if by expending a feat if it would be worth a permanent magic item.

If so, what would the power level be?

No.

We recently did a character snake draft, where we were "picking" feats, ASIs, abilities, and magic items. Magic items ... they just don't compare. Feats are permanent. You can't take them away. You don't have to worry about finding a "better" feat that will obsolete yours.

In addition, players will almost always psychologically prefer inherent boosts to power (things the characters will always be able to do) to things that are external (magic items).

Now, if you really load the scale, and are talking about artifact-level items, of course the calculus changes. But as a general rule, no.
 

HammerMan

Legend
No.

We recently did a character snake draft, where we were "picking" feats, ASIs, abilities, and magic items. Magic items ... they just don't compare. Feats are permanent. You can't take them away. You don't have to worry about finding a "better" feat that will obsolete yours.

In addition, players will almost always psychologically prefer inherent boosts to power (things the characters will always be able to do) to things that are external (magic items).

Now, if you really load the scale, and are talking about artifact-level items, of course the calculus changes. But as a general rule, no.
interesting, do you think my above idea of a feat granting an artificer infusion changes this at all?
 

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