5e damaging magic items.

[Shiroiken]

If you want to implement something like this, I recommend you take a rule from AD&D. If the character makes the save, all items are unharmed (or minimally harmed), but if the character fails, then the items can be damaged.

In AD&D, items had their own saving throws, but for 5E, I'd suggest items follow the normal AC and HP for items. If a character fails the save, then some number of random items are damaged (such as 1d6-2 items) , taking some percentage of the total damage (I'd suggest 10% to 25%, otherwise very few items will survive any AoE). Damaged items can be repaired, unless they're broken (0 HP).

 

[Darren Campbell]

I came up with a percentage system based on how rare the item was, wondrous and magic. So this was a very rare shot on the percentile and he won it. Like a lottery, and he won.

I planned on talking to him out of game for sure without being accusatory, and without letting him know that others question the OP nature of the broom.

 

[Al'Kelhar]

Problems with magic items? Maybe just have half the party fall into the pool of boiling magma, including the character with the bag of holding containing all the party's loot and consumable magic items. Ain't no magic item gonna survive a dip in molten rock (or a character, for that matter).

True story. Man, there were a lot of natural 1s rolled that night.

Cheers, Al'Kelhar

 

[Enevhar Aldarion]

Without digging out a bunch of old books to search through, the only thing I can think of was already mentioned. Generally, magical gear carried by a character is not damaged, or maybe damaged but not destroyed, unless the character fails a saving throw. And the rarer the item, the more difficult it is to destroy, right up to those artifacts that could only be destroyed by very special means. Some things are very easy to destroy, such as snapping a wand in two. A flying carpet could be cut in half by a magic sword, but a magic spell may do nothing to it. Etc.

 

[Rya.Reisender]

For me magic items are immune to damage. Carried and worn items are immune in general.

Got a magic items that's causing trouble?

1. "Leveling the field" is not really an issue for me at all since my players always work together as a team rather than competing with each other (they would give the magic item to the one who they think can use it most efficiently anyway). But I guess it can be a problem if you do AL or have mixed groups.

2. If the magic item (or anything, really) is a problem, the first thing I do is talking with my players about it. I might even go so far and ask them for suggestions on how to handle the situation. I might offer various things like them meeting a merchant that wants to trade it for another item. Or them needing to sacrifice it for a greater good (or a spell like Planar Ally). I'd probably prefer everything that somehow gives the player something in exchange over "oops, it's destroyed".

 

[Umbran]

2. If the PC takes damage while flying, that's a Dex save. Failed save, can't stay on the flying object. Looks like they're falling.

Oh, we should note that 5e already has a good mechanic for this that even makes sense: Concentration.

Say an item like a broom requires concentration to use. That limits the spells the caster can use while using the broom (but doesn't stop the fireballs) and gives you a built in "save when you take damage" mechanic or have the item stop working. This doesn't break the item permanently, but if they are going to make themselves a highly visible target, and make a save *every time* they take damage, they are apt to at least consider when it is worth the risk of a fall, and when it isn't.

 

[Eltab]

So if the magic broom/carpet is hit by magic damage, can it take damage? Is it invulnerable? Is dispel magic the only way to destroy this thing?

My thought: the damaged broom / carpet has to make a save or it goes into a Wile E. Coyote -like "going to break down any minute" routine. It lands on the ground during the owner's next turn and won't work again until the group takes a Rest. Dispel Magic might completely warp things: the broom depowers, but the PC is now wearing a deployed parachute and floats down like reversed Levitation.

If the PC group has been using that flying carpet / broom for a while, your recurring villains will learn of it and plan accordingly. They might send along a Scroll of Fly and a Wand of Magic Missile with the goon squad to deal with the PCs.

 

[aco175]

Can you still target an item in 5e with dispel magic. I remember shorting out items for a few rounds in past editions instead of targeting the area or something. If the PC uses the item for a round or two and them it gets taken away for several rounds, which is mostly the rest of the encounter, it may still be ok for the player to keep.

 

[Krachek]

It is a convenient rule. Items on players are not affected. No realism, no balance, just ease of play.

Otherwise you would keep hit points for weapons, armor, spell focus, component pouch, cloth, and others...
After two encounters Pc would be naked and disarmed, fun.

 

[CrimsonCarcharodon]

Oh, we should note that 5e already has a good mechanic for this that even makes sense: Concentration.

Say an item like a broom requires concentration to use. That limits the spells the caster can use while using the broom (but doesn't stop the fireballs) and gives you a built in "save when you take damage" mechanic or have the item stop working. This doesn't break the item permanently, but if they are going to make themselves a highly visible target, and make a save *every time* they take damage, they are apt to at least consider when it is worth the risk of a fall, and when it isn't.

That's a good idea. I hadn't even thought of adding concentration for magic items.