D&D 5E Access to Ability Boosting Items in your game

[ExploderWizard]

From a rules stand point. Once you start breaking the level cap, messing with action economy, significantly screwing with damage output, etc, from an item that potentially anyone could get at any time in their adventuring career, it messes with how the rules work with each other.

I'm the last person to worry about balance (a four letter word, imo), but the rules work so nicely the way they crafted them. Why mess that up with poorly designed magic items? The items we've seen so far, don't do that. I'm wondering why people think there will be such items.

A magic item that does basically nothing because of rules balance is more worthless than Awec Bawdwin! 4E taught us that lesson in spades. I don't even remember what magic doodads my fighter in our 4E game has. They aren't worth remembering or caring about but they are very balanced and don't break anything.

I welcome the return of "game breaking" magic items that cause player's hearts to pound just thinking about the possibility of finding them. Its the player entitlement to such items that needs to get chucked out the window not the items themselves. So long as access to these items remains with the DM, and the consequences of placing such items is communicated, I say let them in. I remember the joy finding a vorpal sword or an arrow of slaying in 1E. Those items were exciting to discover because they were so powerful.

 

[Agamon]

A magic item that does basically nothing because of rules balance is more worthless than Awec Bawdwin! 4E taught us that lesson in spades. I don't even remember what magic doodads my fighter in our 4E game has. They aren't worth remembering or caring about but they are very balanced and don't break anything.

I welcome the return of "game breaking" magic items that cause player's hearts to pound just thinking about the possibility of finding them. Its the player entitlement to such items that needs to get chucked out the window not the items themselves. So long as access to these items remains with the DM, and the consequences of placing such items is communicated, I say let them in. I remember the joy finding a vorpal sword or an arrow of slaying in 1E. Those items were exciting to discover because they were so powerful.

Don't get me wrong, I agree with you about not caring about balance. I made a magic amulet that gives our wizard an extra slot of the highest level he can cast. So, eventually, he'll get two slots up in those higher spell levels that normally only give you one.

That's broken. And I'm okay with that, it's my game. I'm just saying I'd be beyond shocked if stuff like that showed up in the DMG.

 

[JoeCrow]

As I recall, Mearls already said that there's gonna be Belts of Frost/Fire/Stone/Storm Giant Strength in the DMG. Like, last year. BUT (and this is a Big Ol' But), they're ARTIFACTS. Like, "there's one of each type in the world" kind of artifacts. So, yeah, there's probably a few Ogre Gauntlets and Hill Giant Belts wandering around for folks who want the quick/cheap boost up to 19/20 strength. But if you wanna get into the supercrazy strength range, you're going up against the folks carrying around Vecna's Pimp-Slapping Hand and the like.

 

[Tony Vargas]

Sure, they wished they had some when they bumped into a grick (resist vs non-magic) last session, but the druid's shillelagh spell and the wizard's magic missiles handled that issue.

One consequence of a low-magic-item game is that casters' magic is more important, yeah.

At the rate we're going, I'm actually feeling comfortable if they go several more levels without ever seeing another permanent magic item. That's just not possible in 3e or 4e.

In 4e you'd use 'inherent bonuses' and lack of items became a non-issue. Late 3e had something similar, but it really depended on items for more than building up numerical bonuses (like cheap healing and keeping non-casters viable at higher levels).

5e's unique in /assuming/ no items, though, and, as a DM, I'm fine with that.