D&D 5E Are Wizards really all that?

[Jefe Bergenstein]

In fairness, I'm pretty sure the DMG does address that point. I believe it says somewhere that if you have martials, they need a magic weapon. So it's more like "you don't need magic items, except for a magic weapon for each martial character". Which is basically true. But what they don't mention is that running a low magic item campaign gives casters a much more dramatic advantage over martials.

Which is why one of the fighter fixes I've proposed (in other threads) would be to let them pick a magic item as a class feature. But it's gotten a lot of pushback in the past. I guess because it's a form of narrative control (albeit, in the most minimal sense possible).

Martials get unlimited attunement, half casters get 4, full casters get 2. After this long of 5e I'm in favor of bringing back the christmas tree.

 

[Yaarel]

Yeah, i wouldn't write any of that into the mechanics, though. How it happens is up to the player and GM.

Of course it is narrative, not mechanical. There can still be a formal process to decide on the narrative of the magic item Fighter feature, similar to the way a Background presents a formal process to decide on a narrative for a new character.

 

[Cadence]

The hell of this is that both the resistance and solution are pure gamist nonsense.

Isn't resistance to all but certain items a really common thing in the literature (need silver or cold steel or magic?).

 

[DND_Reborn]

I don't know off the top of my head how many creatures have immunity to non magical damage. Werewolves, right?

Lycanthropes, yes. If you know about them, not a big deal if you can get the silver weapons before hand. If not, better hope you have a campfire handy.

Vecna, the new statblock, is another.

Nothing else I can think of...

Of course, casters (and half-casters) don't have to worry about it, neither to monks eventually.

 

[Gammadoodler]

Isn't resistance to all but certain items a really common thing in the literature (need silver or cold steel or magic?).

Usually that stuff is more specific, keyed to a particular material or element or spell and (arguably) is somehow tied thematically to the creature.

There is none of that in the generic nonmagical resistance/generic magical item paradigm D&D utilizes.

 

[Jefe Bergenstein]

Yeah, i wouldn't write any of that into the mechanics, though. How it happens is up to the player and GM.

Why can't magic items be imbued with the wielder's badassness?

"This is the Hammer of Grabthar, which has smote a hundred score men, and will smite a hundred score more!" sounds better than "This is the Hammer of Grabthar, imbued with magic by some dweeb that couldn't lift it"

 

[Reynard]

Why can't magic items be imbued with the wielder's badassness?

"This is the Hammer of Grabthar, which has smote a hundred score men, and will smite a hundred score more!" sounds better than "This is the Hammer of Grabthar, imbued with magic by some dweeb that couldn't lift it"

I don't know. Why couldn't it be?

 

[DND_Reborn]

Why can't magic items be imbued with the wielder's badassness?

"This is the Hammer of Grabthar, which has smote a hundred score men, and will smite a hundred score more!" sounds better than "This is the Hammer of Grabthar, imbued with magic by some dweeb that couldn't lift it"

Nothing says they can't...

 

[Fanaelialae]

Martials get unlimited attunement, half casters get 4, full casters get 2. After this long of %e I'm in favor of bringing back the christmas tree.

I'm not.

The Christmas tree doesn't really fix the issue, as it tends to focus too much on bigger numbers. The magic items that bridge the gap between casters and martials are often more utility based IMO (the aforementioned helm of teleport).

That said, I'd be fine with easing attunement limits for martials a little. However, so long as magic item distribution remains firmly in the hands of the DM, it's fundamentally meaningless. If you have unlimited attunement slots and a copper piece in a campaign where you never get magic items, you have a copper.

I prefer @Reynard 's solution. You get a magic item of your choice that doesn't count against your attunement slots. I suppose that could be modified to simply +1 attunement, so that players don't feel pressured into picking an attunement item. I think it's better because you actually get an item to use in that attunement slot.

 

[Cadence]

Usually that stuff is more specific, keyed to a particular material or element or spell and (arguably) is somehow tied thematically to the creature.

There is none of that in the generic nonmagical resistance/generic magical item paradigm D&D utilizes.

Which D&D creatures with resistances annoy you most?