D&D 5E D&D 5e Night Below Conversion Question: All the Magic Loot!?

[TheSwartz]

I'm reading through the Night Below Box Set, to create a D&D 5e campaign with this, and I am amazed at the amount of magic items available. By the time I'd see the PCs at level 5 or 6 (through book 1), they would have a treasure trove of various magic items, weapons, and armor.

It doesn't seem consistent with the published 5e content so far (I'm mostly familiar with some of the WOTC published adventure paths). When one seeks to model a campaign on "OSR" principles, is this acceptable? Any suggestions on this?

My two ideas so far:

1. Just throw it all in there and just run a high magic campaign?
2. Throw out many of the magic items that various NPCs, bandits, etc carry on them (i.e. the multiple +1 weapons and armor) and just go with a few key possessions and then throw in the loot found in chests, etc?

Thanks!

 

[Quickleaf]

I'm reading through the Night Below Box Set, to create a D&D 5e campaign with this, and I am amazed at the amount of magic items available. By the time I'd see the PCs at level 5 or 6 (through book 1), they would have a treasure trove of various magic items, weapons, and armor.

It doesn't seem consistent with the published 5e content so far (I'm mostly familiar with some of the WOTC published adventure paths). When one seeks to model a campaign on "OSR" principles, is this acceptable? Any suggestions on this?

My two ideas so far:

1. Just throw it all in there and just run a high magic campaign?
2. Throw out many of the magic items that various NPCs, bandits, etc carry on them (i.e. the multiple +1 weapons and armor) and just go with a few key possessions and then throw in the loot found in chests, etc?

Thanks!

I've run the opening part of Night Below for my group using 5e, and I went with the 5e guidelines. Using those I analyzed each treasure horde, and cut out a lot of the magic items, especially the excessive amounts of +1 weapons and armor.

 

[CapnZapp]

It doesn't seem consistent with the published 5e content so far (I'm mostly familiar with some of the WOTC published adventure paths).

Don't worry about that, most published 5e campaigns don't follow the DMG guidelines either. (Storm King would be the exception I guess)

By this I don't mean you shouldn't worry or adress your question about your module; only that WotC doesn't care about consistency so whatever amount of magic loot you end up with, it will still be okay (from a "is it 5e?" perspective - too much or too powerful loot can still easily derail a campaign)


Sent from my C6603 using EN World mobile app

 

[ccs]

I'm reading through the Night Below Box Set, to create a D&D 5e campaign with this, and I am amazed at the amount of magic items available. By the time I'd see the PCs at level 5 or 6 (through book 1), they would have a treasure trove of various magic items, weapons, and armor.

I don't see a problem.

It doesn't seem consistent with the published 5e content so far (I'm mostly familiar with some of the WOTC published adventure paths). When one seeks to model a campaign on "OSR" principles, is this acceptable? Any suggestions on this?

That's because NB was written 20some years ago for 2nd edition....

If your trying for that old-school feel, then yeah, the treasure is part of it.

My two ideas so far:

1. Just throw it all in there and just run a high magic campaign?
2. Throw out many of the magic items that various NPCs, bandits, etc carry on them (i.e. the multiple +1 weapons and armor) and just go with a few key possessions and then throw in the loot found in chests, etc?

Take the 1st option. Otherwise your avoiding the style of play you state you want.

You'll also discover that the excess amount of loot the party has - money or magic - doesn't really matter. And in fact is likely to self-correct as the characters can't carry it all. They'll have to find somewhere safe to leave most of it. We played this as a 1e party with 8 players & we couldn't do it. So if you're running a 4 or 5 PC party....
This'll help provide RP, but the mechanical impact of loot? That's entirely up to you. The players won't be able to spend that $ on anything but what you make available.
And once you're into book two? The party will be far underground. They're not just running back to town whenever & there's virtually no areas to go trading/buying.
Having a stockpile of +1 weapons? Cool. You've only got two hands per character. Usefull as backups incase something happens to whatever you're using as primary, but again, you can only carry so many. Likewise with armour.

One of the uses we found for the stockpile of loot was outfitting replacement characters.


Two suggestions:
1) Do something more interesting with the Rockseerer Elves than the authors did. Or just eliminate them altogether. As is they annoy PCs by showing up & taking away really valuable loot (wich, although there's no mechanical use for a 100k gpv. dragon statue, is just a dick move from the DMs side of the screen) & teaching the PCs how to use the teleport nodes. Certainly there's a more interesting way to get that info into the PCs hands.

2) OSR feel: See the 5e Ability Score modifiers? THOSE, not the amount of loot, are the problem. Walk those +s back to their 1e/2eAD&D versions.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

Careful:
The abundance of magic loot is a hint on what is going on.
You might cut enhancement bonuses in half though.

 

[Giltonio_Santos]

The abundance of magic loot is a hint on what is going on.

This. I believe a nice way to do it would be to only roll for secondary properties. Then, a +1 weapon becomes a magic weapon with no enhancement to attack and damage, which gives a +2 bonus to initiative, for example. That way, you can keep the high flow of magic items without worrying about putting too much power in the hands of your PCs.

 

[tardigrade]

Since this is one of the only 2e products I've been able to extricate from storage since I started playing 5e, I may run it at some point - so if anyone else has suggestions on converting it please go ahead

 

[werecorpse]

IME the main issue with magic loot in 5e is the enhancement bonuses, especially to hit ac and saves (not damage) - most especially ac.

So I would take away almost all of these. They are unecessary and have potential to damage the games. If you want to take an easy path to keeping them make the weapons only + to damage, or enchanted but with no bonus.

I have only run converted modules (1e, 2e & 3e) for 5e and I replace most treasure with temporary items (potions, scrolls, wands etc) or with with small boost limited or non + items (a magic shield that lets you use your reaction to half damage (a la uncanny dodge) a couple of times a long rest, an item that can be tied to a weapon allowing it to add radiant damage a few times a long rest, a cloak that allows you to polymorph into a panther 1/day and gives +1 to Dex saves etc)

In essence 5e character class design is all about characters having a wide breadth of abilities (ie +2 to hit and skills but also the ability to action surge, and second wind etc) not focussed (ie +4 to hit). This should IMO be duplicated in the type of treasure you give out. Few +s but extra side abilities.
- short term resistance to damage for armor & shields
- short term boost to damage (or initiative as suggested above) for weapons

 

[LapBandit]

Just run it as is. Lots of +1 fear isn't that meaningful anyway. The adventure has some deadly parts and the martial characters who benefit most from the +1s will appreciate it.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

The treasure isbindeed needed. But enhancement bonuses in older editions went up to +5. So dividing by 2 and rounding up is my favourite method right now.