D&D 5E Best way to deal with greedy players and magic items in a fun game.

[ECMO3]

I am playing in a long term campaign (currently on month 18) and one player really wants to hoard the magic items. A lot of really cool stuff came up but I never say I want it if someone else is interested. I always let it go (mostly to the guy who wants everything). I don't really fight it because I enjoy the campaign, as an example he had a portable hole already and we found a bag of holding back when we were like 3rd level and that character was like - "i want the bag of holding" even though he already had the PH. Another example, his character is never in melee and has fire resistance as racial feature. We found a ring that required attunement and gave +1AC and fire resistance, I am in melee periodically (Rogue) and could have used it better I think. The paladin in the group gets attacked all the time and gets targeted with like every AOE and could have really used it, but we gave it to this guy because he said he wanted it (actually said in game "I am taking the ring" after it was identified).

We only play once a month. Right now we are 10th level my character has 2 magic weapons (+1 dagger, vicious whip) and nothing with attunement. At this point the other guy has all his attunement slots filled and he personally has as many total magic items as the rest of the 5-person party combined. We found a really good attunement magic item that gives resistance to all elemental damage and magic resistance. This guy basically said: I want to give up the other item (+1 and fire resistance) and attune to this item.

This really bothered me and I feel like this is the straw that broke the camel's back so to speak. I don't want to cause a fight and end the campaign, my character is cool and fun even with no items and honestly I am probably not the best person for this new item anyway since I have evasion, but he isn't either.

I know I should not let it bother me but it really annoyed me.

I know one thing I did when I was DMing for children (literal children) - they got temporary use of magic items until a break (cleared the dungeon, rescued the princess, freed the town ...) at that point all the loot would go into a pile we would splut the magic items and everyone would roll. Highest die picks an item, 2nd highest picks an item .... If we had less players than items we made shares of gold equivalent to value of the least magic item or all the gold split if it was less than the least item. If we had more items than players when we got to the bottom it went in reverse - so the last guy picked his item, then he picked first in the next round, then the second to the last picked etc. This worked well for children .... although it seems childish and was certainly not optimal from a party perspective.

Mostly venting but advice would be welcome.

 

[billd91]

Find out how the other players feel about it. I think it’s time you told this chump No.

 

[Flamestrike]

I've always used a pick system, determined by random lottery.

At the end of a session, the magic items found are pooled, and then players select (in list order) from those available. Once we reach the bottom of the list, we go back to the top.

When it's your turn to pick, you have to take an item, (or alternatively you can swap the item for a pick or picks with another player if they really want the item).

For example. it's the Rogues turn to pick, and there is a +2 Greatsword. He can either take the Greatsword, or let the Fighter take it, in exchange for one (or more) of the Fighters future picks.

 

[Mort]

I like the idea of a pick system, randomly determined order reach session.

That way, you're not singling the guy out - your just implementing a new, fair, distribution system.

 

[pukunui]

Yeah, that sounds like a pretty crappy situation. I'd be pretty annoyed if a fellow player in one of my games was doing that.

My advice would be to talk with the greedy player and let them know how you feel about it.

 

[GMMichael]

I am playing in a long term campaign (currently on month 18) and one player really wants to hoard the magic items. A lot of really cool stuff came up but I never say I want it if someone else is interested. . .

I know I should not let it bother me but it really annoyed me.

"Hey One Player, I'd really like this magic item."

"Oh, yeah, sure. I'm glad you said something. Otherwise I would have claimed it."

 

[Mort]

Has the DM not weighed in at all? You'd think after the second third or especially fourth time, the DM would take the player aside and say "hey, stop trying to grab up all the treasure, your one person in the group!"

 

[niklinna]

Risk speaking up—particularly if this player seems to be intimidating other players into giving them what they want or not allowing any discussion. If an item would better serve the whole party in another character's possession, say so. Do it as soon as you know, and solicit opinions from everybody. Don't give the greedo a chance to pounce. "Oh that ring would be great for our front-line paladin. What do you think, wizard, barbarian?" Start if possible with characters other than yours, of course, so it isn't you vs. the hoarder.

It's a shame this person managed to dominate loot for so long (this should have been nipped in the bud, hard, when the hoarder demanded a redundant storage item), but it sounds like you are at a breaking point, which means the odds are at least one other player is at a breaking point, too.




If you wanna be a total stinker, by the way, you might consider tricking the hoarder into putting the bag of holding inside the portable hole....

Edit for clarity.

 

[iserith]

Ultimately, this is just one of those things that needs to be decided by the players prior to the adventure or campaign in my view. That way everyone knows how it's going to be going forward. With my regular johns, for example, they figure out who would benefit the most individually and how it would best suit the party, then assign the magic items accordingly.

At this point in your game, it seems a bit late to me to raise it as a serious issue, but you certainly can do so, preferably not during the game itself and not in a medium where tone can be misinterpreted (email, text, etc.).

It sounds like you're a very agreeable person and, while that can be nice, people who are too agreeable tend to get resentful in my experience until that final straw - often something relatively insignificant - breaks the camels back. It's okay to be assertive and just say "No" sometimes. You just have to pick your battles.

 

[Seramus]

I suggest showing your DM this thread, if they are a fairly chill person. You have good phrasing in your opening post, explain the situation and your concerns clearly, and they will be able to read the possible solutions that get mentioned here.

In addition to the usual "Talk it out with the other players and your DM" advice, one thing you can do is actively jump in: "Oh, X can use that too! Are you interested in it, X? Cool! Rock paper scissors?" or "I would love that too! Rock paper scissors?" It doesn't have to be rock, paper, scissors of course. But it offers an immediate way to resolve the conflict, instead of awkwardly waiting for someone to defer or look to the DM for resolution.