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

[Lanefan]

Then you end up with a Dump Truck of Holding full of magic items that never get used.

So?

Sell them. Or find-make-create uses for them. Or keep them as trophies over your castle* fireplace.

* - what? You don't have a castle? Maybe trade some unused magic items for one...

The DM doesn't give the players what they want, they give them what they need. So, if the DM wants to discourage narrow builds and optimisation, such characters will find the dungeons devoid of items they can use, whereas the character with the sub-optimal build finds an ideally suited powerful item.

IMO ideally the DM neutrally places the items (or decides on the module with items already embedded) before even knowing which PCs will be in the adventure.

 

[ECMO3]

Then you end up with a Dump Truck of Holding full of magic items that never get used.

No you don't. You end upm with your 8th level strength-based fighter using a magic war pick or magic dagger because it is the magic weapon you found.

 

[tetrasodium]

No you don't. You end upm with your 8th level strength-based fighter using a magic war pick or magic dagger because it is the magic item you found.

Not quite, that's where crafting comes into play. In my current game I have five players in it.

• Two of them have their needs met but has a bunch of things they want to get eventually (not at all level appropriate items at their level). Lets call then Alice & Bob
• One of them moved from a greataxe to a maul to a bastard sword & has some armor they are happy with. Lets call hm Chuck
• One of them has EXACTLY what he wanted. Lets call him Dave
• The last one is salty because he's turned his nose up at phenominal gear that went to the cleric because none of them were what could be described as "an official Red Ryder, carbine-action; two hundred shot range model air rifle, with a compass in the stock and this thing which tells time!” Lets call him Eddy.

Alice Bob & Chuck are fine happy & well equipped level 6 PCs & one of them did some spellcraft to learn some custom rare spells that made them happy. Eddy likes to say "my character doesn't want to get involved" & "I don't think my character wants to learn any crafting skills[because he would rather have the murderhobo skills the PC has]." Dave is really the only one with crafting skills & can only craft so much so started with meeting his needs that could be filled with his crafting skill.

Both the me GM & Dave have lamented that none of the other players have any crafting skills & seem unwilling to pick any up. If you want something other than what you find, craft it. If you can't craft it then get another player to do it for you or try to find someone you can commission your "official Red Ryder, carbine-action; two hundred shot range model air rifle, with a compass in the stock and this thing which tells time!” from.

One of those involves investing in character capabilities in order to fill your desires, the other involves making connections & taking actions to justify an NPC filling your desires using the BPC's capabilities.

 

[Vaalingrade]

No you don't. You end upm with your 8th level strength-based fighter using a magic war pick or magic dagger because it is the magic weapon you found.

Nope. Anything that doesn't fit my character gets sold and then I will scour the planet for something actually useful to them.

 

[Lanefan]

Nope. Anything that doesn't fit my character gets sold and then I will scour the planet for something actually useful to them.

Evil GM quietly makes note to self: "character weakness: will not and does not adapt to suit situation or circumstances".

 

[Vaalingrade]

Evil GM quietly makes note to self: "character weakness: will not and does not adapt to suit situation or circumstances".

/Vaal has abandoned the game.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

No you don't. You end upm with your 8th level strength-based fighter using a magic war pick or magic dagger because it is the magic weapon you found.

Given how underpowered fighters are anyway, it seems to add insult to injury to stick them with a garbage weapon as well.

And who makes magic versions of rubbish weapons anyway?

 

[Lanefan]

Given how underpowered fighters are anyway, it seems to add insult to injury to stick them with a garbage weapon as well.

And who makes magic versions of rubbish weapons anyway?

Wild magic surges transferring the enchantment from one item to another?

And, it's always possible sometime in the past someone specialized in military pick commissioned an enchanted one; and particularly in a 5e-like environment where items almost never break, once it's made that thing is around forever...

 

[Lorithen]

Then you end up with a Dump Truck of Holding full of magic items that never get used.

In our campaign, these "spare" items that no-one can or wants to use might either get sold, traded in to cover training costs, or sacrificed by the resident Cleric. In the D&D version we play, many Cleric spells (e.g. Raise Dead, Restoration, high level ceremony spells, etc.) require sacrifices (some quite expensive), and deities aren't particularly picky as long as the item value adds up to what's required.

Also, in our system, if you fail your saving throw -- say against a Fireball -- each of your magic (and mundane) items have to make their saves as well or get fried. And sometimes what we call a "melt-down" might occur when and item goes "boom" and sets off a chain reaction where the other items you (or your comrades) are carrying or wearing then fail their saves and also go boom. If an item is in a backpack, it might get a bonus to its save or not be affected at all, depending what it is.

 

[Clint_L]

In our campaign, these "spare" items that no-one can or wants to use might either get sold, traded in to cover training costs, or sacrificed by the resident Cleric. In the D&D version we play, many Cleric spells (e.g. Raise Dead, Restoration, high level ceremony spells, etc.) require sacrifices (some quite expensive), and deities aren't particularly picky as long as the item value adds up to what's required.

Also, in our system, if you fail your saving throw -- say against a Fireball -- each of your magic (and mundane) items have to make their saves as well or get fried. And sometimes what we call a "melt-down" might occur when and item goes "boom" and sets off a chain reaction where the other items you (or your comrades) are carrying or wearing then fail their saves and also go boom. If an item is in a backpack, it might get a bonus to its save or not be affected at all, depending what it is.

Was that an AD&D rule or a home brew rule? It's been way too long but it sounds familiar and sparked a memory of dreading rolling saving throws for items.

Either way, I'm going to consider adding something like this to my home campaigns, for the same reason I added critical wounds - 5e is too safe.