D&D (2024) 2024 Magic Items, Crafting, Etc

[Zardnaar]

wands were in PHB as options to be crafted, same as potions and scrolls.

and you could buy them normally,
didn't take a genius that can sum up 50 scrolls and/or 50 potions are much more than 1 wand.
granted, we were also stupid and in our 1st campaign didn't buy wands...gotta learn the hard way.

Also in FR setting book, wand with 20 charges was option for starting gear.

How many people played FR and chose starting gear from it?

How many people really grinned the magic item creation rules? Without prompting I saw F all of it and our group was plugged in.

I also have 50 odd 3E books. Most of them barely got used tbh. Even the big 4 complete books and we played a lot.

Think you're vastly over estimating the people who did. Vast majority of players any edition I suspect are casuals. PHB only or close enough to it.

5E maybe Xanathars and Tashas but that's because they only really did 2 player books.

Even then if it's not a cantrip or absorb elements how often do you see a spell from the books used relative to phb?

Vitriol spheres been in the game since 1996. Ever seen it cast? Ice knife outside BG3? That turned up 1990 iirc.

 

[Horwath]

How many people played FR and chose starting gear from it?

I dont know, but who used it, used the starting gear.
I mean, it was extra free stuff.

How many people really grinned the magic item creation rules? Without prompting I saw F all of it and our group was plugged in.

a lot from my experience, not many took the feats and they we considered boring to have, but if they existed, then there were NPCs with them.
many features screamed NPC feature back then. like favored enemy and/or terrain, hehe.

I also have 50 odd 3E books. Most of them barely got used tbh. Even the big 4 complete books and we played a lot.

yeah,
we used PHB 1&2, Complete series and later Magic item and Spell compendium.
and that is from 100+ books that was printed for 3.5e. maybe even more

 

[Zardnaar]

I dont know, but who used it, used the starting gear.
I mean, it was extra free stuff.

a lot from my experience, not many took the feats and they we considered boring to have, but if they existed, then there were NPCs with them.
many features screamed NPC feature back then. like favored enemy and/or terrain, hehe.

yeah,
we used PHB 1&2, Complete series and later Magic item and Spell compendium.
and that is from 100+ books that was printed for 3.5e. maybe even more

Spell compendium had it barely used.

First 4 complete books and phb we saw the occasional bit but not that often really. FRCS as well.

Everything else was few and far between. Essentially a waste of money except I enjoyed reading and theory crafting it.

New classes in use? Scout and that was probably about it even with prompting for Warmage or Beguiler or whatever.

So much of it just got drowned. If you played 2 campaigns a year the system only lasted 5 years. 10 classes used out of 50 or 60. 2 campaigns a year probably generous.

24 years still waiting on a dwarf wizard. In 5E Outside of a playtest I've seen 1 Artificer.

 

[Zardnaar]

Agreed. I tend not to include any magic shields that grant +X to AC in my games. I prefer ones like the sentinel shield.

Without +X I find players default to TWF or two handed/bows. Espicially 2014.

In C&C one of the fighters has 24 AC. Found +2 atlantean full plate and a +2 shield level 5/6.

 

[Horwath]

Without +X I find players default to TWF or two handed/bows. Espicially 2014.

yeah, but some cool shields might persuade them to use them, especially if that property can only be found on shields.
4E did a good job with magic shields.

and if someone hits you 60% of the time and with shield that comes down to 50% of the time, that ratio should be kept through all tiers of play, more or less.
but with double dipping with +X AC bonus, that ratio gets out of bounds.

In C&C one of the fighters has 24 AC. Found +2 atlantean full plate and a +2 shield level 5/6.

yeah, 3.5e had problems with stacking cheap +1 bonuses of various types.
+1 armor, 1000GP
+1 shield, 1000GP
+1 deflection, 2000GP
+1 natural, 2000GP
+1 luck, 2500GP

add few feats of choice and you are close to 30AC by 8th level if not over it.

 

[Zardnaar]

yeah, but some cool shields might persuade them to use them, especially if that property can only be found on shields.
4E did a good job with magic shields.

and if someone hits you 60% of the time and with shield that comes down to 50% of the time, that ratio should be kept through all tiers of play, more or less.
but with double dipping with +X AC bonus, that ratio gets out of bounds.

yeah, 3.5e had problems with stacking cheap +1 bonuses of various types.
+1 armor, 1000GP
+1 shield, 1000GP
+1 deflection, 2000GP
+1 natural, 2000GP
+1 luck, 2500GP

add few feats of choice and you are close to 30AC by 8th level if not over it.

Depends. Less healing means not getting hit becomes more valuable.
5E inflated the hit points then inflated magical healing for a problem 5E created.

3E problem was selling magic items to PCs willy nilly. Same with 4E.

3E onwards they've inflated the damage of two handed weapons via power attack, 50% strength boost, 2W, 3W etc or the -5/+10 feats.

 

[Hussar]

it was called precision damage before(sneak attack, stealth attack, sudden strike, skirmish attack, what not), and you can be precise with anything.

hunting boars with spears is a stealth job, and surprising a boar with a spear and killing it with a single blow could be called "sneak attack"

If you manage to kill a boar with a single blow, that's not a sneak attack, that's a one in a million chance. By and large, you didn't kill that boar with one hit. You spitted it on the spear (something that D&D doesn't actually allow) and then held it in place while your six friends also stabbed that boar with spears.

At least, that was one way of doing it.

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In any case, I already have a problem with 5e being so bloody high magic. Every class (nearly) has spells, and every single thing the party does will involve magic. Giving the party MORE magic isn't really something I want in the game. Because as it stands, I can reward the party with interesting magic items, like a Sentinel Shield. But, if the players craft a magic shield? It's not going to be a Sentinel Shield. It's going to be the most boring stuff because that's the best bang for the buck. :sigh:

 

[Minigiant]

1. The idea of a wizard crafting through short rests and while riding a horse is silly and just wouldn't fly at my table. YMMV but I cannot believe that is what's intended, and there is no need for it to be allowed

I thought he said crafting could be done on the back of a cart not horseback.

Maybe I misheard

 

[Minigiant]

There are prices by rarity in the 2014 DMF too. Though I heard these have been updated in the 2024 DMG

My point was that the magic items' power didn't match their rarity often so it wasn't completely useless. The 2014 DMG was rushed.

If the 2024 DMG matches item power to rarity, then individual prices aren't needed.

 

[Horwath]

If you manage to kill a boar with a single blow, that's not a sneak attack, that's a one in a million chance. By and large, you didn't kill that boar with one hit. You spitted it on the spear (something that D&D doesn't actually allow) and then held it in place while your six friends also stabbed that boar with spears.

At least, that was one way of doing it.

one way to describe it for sure,

-----

In any case, I already have a problem with 5e being so bloody high magic. Every class (nearly) has spells, and every single thing the party does will involve magic. Giving the party MORE magic isn't really something I want in the game. Because as it stands, I can reward the party with interesting magic items, like a Sentinel Shield. But, if the players craft a magic shield? It's not going to be a Sentinel Shield. It's going to be the most boring stuff because that's the best bang for the buck. :sigh:

yes,
I hate that too.
everything more complicated than tying your shoelaces has to be coded as a spell.

Hunter's mark; why is it a spell?
It is used by hunters, not wizards,

we had elves that teleport innately in 2014, why is that no coded as Misty step, sure some variants in 2014 also had misty step. But it can be teleport outside spellcasting feature. Like current goliath. Quasy magical effect, but not spellcasting.

Dragon sorcerers can have innate dragon's breath, not spellcasting it.
They might use spell slots to augment it, but base feature should not be spellcasting.

I like Rune knight as it is not default spellcasting, same as Psi warrior or soulblade.

ofc, paladins lost their innate Smite and was turned into another spell, because OFC it was.

I'm surprised that Lay one hands was not turned into Healing word spell.


As for magical item, OFC players want them.
who wants to play 10 level with same naughty word sword you got at boot camp?
you want better things, and since there is next to none of special materials or alchemical versions of mundane weapons, +1/+2/+3 is natural progression of quality of gear.


I do not even look at +1/+2/+3 as magical, just better mundane gear.

Holy avenger is magical, +1 sword is just better made from more quality steel.