D&D General Sandbox style: Rumors say a +1 sword is in a cave nearby. Go get it?

[Bill Zebub]

(deleted)

 

[Bill Zebub]

This is probably one of the reasons why wish lists in 3E started to bug me

I took a long break from TTRPGs and when I got back I didn't understand why people were posting "builds" with specific sets of magic items. I was still of the mindset that you have zero control over what magic items you find.

 

[aco175]

Dragon Magazine 105.

 

[Incenjucar]

Fancy material is a good add-on for a low-magic weapon. A cold iron sword +1 solves a wider range of problems and its benefits can be appreciate without knowledge of mathemagic.

 

[R_J_K75]

Give it a good backstory. No character is going to think of a sword as +1. A little bit of narrative will go a long way. Make it so they want to go get this sword

 

[Shiroiken]

You are fresh level 1 characters. You are playing in a sandbox style game. You have many options to explore. Caves and temples and whatever. Riches and glory and treasure no matter where you go.

One rumor says a cave full of monsters has a magic (+1) sword hidden somewhere inside. Is it worth it to you to seek out this sword? You are level 1 and have no magic items. Plus, who knows what's in the other areas to explore. It's JUST a +1 sword after all.

Absolutely. It's an obvious plot hook , with a clearly defined reward. While you may consider it "just a +1 sword," there are a lot lamer rewards to be found. Besides, not everywhere is going to have treasure, unless the DM is using the same encounters and treasure regardless of the party's decision (in which case, it's not a sandbox, but a railroad).

Would it make a difference if it was AD&D/OSR/Shadowdark etc?

Basically: Is it worth going out of the parties way to get JUST a +1 sword?

It's a sandbox game... WHAT are you going out of your way from?!? The point of a sandbox game is that players decide what to do, rather than having an ongoing plot the party needs to adhere to.

 

[Azzy]

You are fresh level 1 characters. You are playing in a sandbox style game. You have many options to explore. Caves and temples and whatever. Riches and glory and treasure no matter where you go.

One rumor says a cave full of monsters has a magic (+1) sword hidden somewhere inside. Is it worth it to you to seek out this sword? You are level 1 and have no magic items. Plus, who knows what's in the other areas to explore. It's JUST a +1 sword after all.

Would it make a difference if it was AD&D/OSR/Shadowdark etc?

Basically: Is it worth going out of the parties way to get JUST a +1 sword?

From a mechanical point of view, weapon pluses only go up to +3 (assuming 5e or 5e-derived games), so a +1 isn't something to sneeze at. Especially for low-level characters.

Instead of telling players it's a +1 sword, I'd use the tables in DMG24, pp. 222-223 to give the sword some character and history and then give the sword a name (like "Devil's Luck" or something).

 

[Reynard]

I think too much is being made of trying to obscure "+1" from the players. Unless you are running for literal newbs, everyone knows what you mean when you say "a minor magical sword" or whatever flavor text ephemera you present.

Let players know the stakes so they can decide whether it is worth it.

 

[Bill Zebub]

I think too much is being made of trying to obscure "+1" from the players. Unless you are running for literal newbs, everyone knows what you mean when you say "a minor magical sword" or whatever flavor text ephemera you present.

Let players know the stakes so they can decide whether it is worth it.

And once they've acquired it, they need to know what to put on their character sheet anyway.

 

[MerricB]

My PC should not know what a "+1 sword" is, and should not be making decisions based on game-rule information like that.

It would depend on how the sword, and the hazard associated with it, is described in-game and what other options are available at the time.

Although I agree that it's really wonderful to have the "in-game" fiction be far more evocative than just a "+1 sword", this discussion does remind me of this classic piece of text from an 1979 AD&D adventure:

"Stop before you pick me up. I confer the following powers upon my wearer: invisibility, haste (8 charges), I act as a +1 ring of protection, confer 100% protection from charm, flying once per day, spell turning (10 charges), treasure finding (6 charges), and one wish. The only drawback Is that I eat one hit point per year permanently. But I must be put on before leaving this room, as I must be worn for me to leave. However, once I am removed from the finger, all my powers are lost. So you must decide right now who will wear me permanently."

It's the most explicit use of game terminology for an in-game-world discussion I can think of at present.

I haven't named the adventure, because I know there will be a few who will enjoy naming it!

Cheers!