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

[Distracted DM]

You mentioned each person had 10 magic rings though. That is abnormal. Also, the 2024 DMG specifically says:

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Are Magic Items Necessary?
The D&D game assumes that magic items appear sporadically and that they are a boon unless an item bears a curse. Characters and monsters are built to face each other without the help of magic items, which means that having a magic item makes a character more powerful or versatile than a generic character of the same level. As DM, you never have to worry about awarding magic items just so the characters can keep up with the campaign’s threats. Magic items are truly prizes—desirable but not necessary.

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So if characters and monsters are built to face each other without magic items, and the PCs have a bunch of magic items, then the DM must account for that. I don't run published adventures, but if they are just using stock monsters then the DM absolutely needs to account for the PC magic items.

To me, these things:

1. Seems at odds with one-another: "game is balanced against zero magic items, but also here's a tracker as a guideline for how many magic items you should have.." that says to me that the game is not balanced. Is that a problem? Not necessarily, but it can throw the GM for a loop... And exhaust the setting of powerful creatures trying to challenge them (PCs punching way above their weight class is my personal issue with 5e).

2. Given that the balance is made without magic items, but adventures and the chart provide expectations for plenty of magic items... This is probably something to have been addressed with the 2024 system update? Start designing stuff assuming some amount of magic items. That ship has long sailed ofc.

 

[Ferrousbones]

@Piperken @Hussar

That chart/sheet is for total magic items for the party (typical party of 4 I think). The rules in that section of the book don't specify what amount of those items are permanent or consumable, though, so we can't effectively debate that.

 

[ECMO3]

There is a rule that says you can’t wear more than one type of the same magic item (to be fair it lists pretty much everything but rings as examples). There is also a rule that you can’t attune to the same type of specific magic item more than once, and gives Ring of Protection as an example.

Where is this rule?

Attunement does not matter in this case as the Ring of Resistance is not attunement any more (and this is the problem I think).

 

[Stormonu]

@ECMO3 - any character deaths or is everybody still rocking the characters they started with?

 

[Older Beholder]

Where is this rule?

Attunement does not matter in this case as the Ring of Resistance is not attunement any more (and this is the problem I think).

My bad, I meant to quote pages previously:

PHB pg 232: No more than three items:
…additionally you can’t attune to more than one copy of an item.

PHB pg 233: Multiple items of the same kind:
You can’t wear more than one of certain magic items…

 

[Zardnaar]

My bad, I meant to quote pages previously:

PHB pg 232: No more than three items:
…additionally you can’t attune to more than one copy of an item.

PHB pg 233: Multiple items of the same kind:
You can’t wear more than one of certain magic items…

That mean you can't use 2 +1 swords?

 

[Chaltab]

That mean you can't use 2 +1 swords?

+1 swords don't require attunement, so hack away, magic hacker.

 

[Older Beholder]

That mean you can't use 2 +1 swords?

Not in the same hand.

 

[Zardnaar]

+1 swords don't require attunement, so hack away, magic hacker.

It says wear not attune.

Normally it's different weapons I suppose.

 

[Chaltab]

It says wear not attune.

It also says 'certain' magic items, and wearing them implies clothing items. I guess you technically wear swords when they're in a scabbard but for game purposes you wield them.