D&D (2024) Wrapping up first 2-20 2024 campaign this week, some of my thoughts

[Zardnaar]

So at what point do you say “Oh. The PC’s are more powerful than the monsters in this module (or at a normal CR for your party), I should probably really bump them up and see what happens?”

Magic items are the biggest problem in 2024 except maybe at tge highest levels.

Probably the level 5 and 6 abilities switching on are.

New commands like BG3 one.

I've had people low in initiative count miss their turns because the 1st 3 have already killed everything.

 

[mamba]

But crafting and magic items are options under the DMs control. If they choose to buff the PCs, they should buff the adversaries as well. At least that is my opinion

they should, but do the guidelines say anything about how it affects the game negatively? We just had the example, the guide says you can craft, the guide says nothing about a two ring limit, the game was a cakewalk. Maybe the guide should have said something about this…

Experienced DMs probably do not fall into the trap, that still does not explain why the book sets it in the first place (and by that I mean has this easy and cheap crafting in the first place)

 

[pukunui]

In my games, I’m willing to have a few shops that sell common and some uncommon items, but most magic items I treat like fine art – mostly sold / traded privately or at auction. I like to use the buying / selling magic items downtime activity in Xanathar’s.

 

[Zardnaar]

Any magic weapon that adds 2 dice worth of damage to every hit is a mistake. Learned that the hard way in my game when I let the artificer loot a black ice longbow from a dead eladrin archer.

Luckily he was an artificer and not a ranger or a dex fighter.

Leaning towards that myself. Exception might be for weaker weapons and styles.

Sword and board is weaker than the other options so a vicious spear or other one handed weapon might be better.

 

[dave2008]

they should, but do the guidelines say anything about how it affects the game negatively? We just had the example, the guide says you can craft, the guide says nothing about a two ring limit, the game was a cakewalk. Maybe the guide should have said something about this…

Experienced DMs probably do not fall into the trap, that still does not explain why the book sets it in the first place (and by that I mean has this easy and cheap crafting in the first place)

I agree the DMG should give advice on a lot of things it doesn't. My point is valid regardless though.

 

[dave2008]

Aware but it's not saying hand out 0. Official adventures are full of them LMoP has around 13 iirc. Legendary ones turning up around level 7.

Said DMG also includes guidelines about how many to add.

I think open market buy whatever you like in whatever quantities you like is a mistake though which was what was going on there.

I've had 1 OP item that wasn't meant to hang around long term and the other one didn't hang around long term.

I don't disagree, my only point is you have to adjust things if you are using magic items. The DMG tells you straight up that monsters are designed around the idea that PCs do not have magic items.

Is that accurate to how people play. No idea, but I don't think so. Should the DMG give advice on how to buff monsters / encounters when PCs have magic items? Yes, I think it should.

 

[ECMO3]

I suspect that the actions and results of this campaign will not be a very useful point of comparison or warning to 99% of the other tables out there.

As for instance, just because the rules do not prohibit the wearing of 10 rings of resistance by each PC (resulting in like 50 odd rings of resistance being made available to the players for some reason)... almost no other table out there will actually see that possibility in play.

Perhaps not, but it is not like those are what is causing problems (and my PC is not wearing them). The overall power in the game is and the Vicious weapons and some of the spells and character abilities are a far bigger issue in terms of balance than the rings of resistance are.

Also we play a ton of high level games. I think it is rare that groups have as much experience at level 16+ as this group does and I am comparing it to many other balanced campaigns we have played through 20th level in 5E with the same DM and group of players.

 

[ECMO3]

Rewritten spells and classes mostly.

Lots of knocking prone setting up advantage and weapon masteries. Rewritten spells like chromatic orb and command.

Command is way more powerful. We are using that a lot still at 18th level, often upcast and affecting multiple enemies and often with them getting disadvantage on the save.

 

[Arilyn]

Since there are a lot of claims that 2024 is explicitly targeting new GMs and players, there needs to be more advice around this issue. 2024 has changed its stance on 5e's "magic items are rare and special" with crafting rules and pricing. It feels inevitable to me that the game risks the old problem of players "lit up like Christmas trees."

 

[Mort]

Command is way more powerful. We are using that a lot still at 18th level, often upcast and affecting multiple enemies and often with them getting disadvantage on the save.

Quick question, does the wizard have a Staff of Power/Magi or similar item?